It has been an incredible 230+ days searching for a new professional challenge. In Brazil, I had a well-established career, but the dangers of life there became too much for me to bear. Here, my career still hesitates; however, the possibility of living freely and peacefully tries to make up for it.
I find it terrible when people ask me what I do. I’m not a helicopter pilot; I’m not a lawyer or a doctor. These professionals can immediately define themselves with pride. I can’t. Yet, I’ve done so much… My education is solid: I can do this, but I can also do that, and potentially, I can even do both simultaneously.
The résumés I send out are sometimes tailored, sometimes generic. I try to produce new versions of my documents to catch someone’s attention, but it all seems to hinge on a referral. I feel the lack of relevant Canadian work experience is holding me back. They ask for my pronouns, my sexual orientation, my race—but who asks about my experiences? I mean, who really wants to know?
I went to an interview, and the person wouldn’t even look me in the eye. He kept interrupting with other matters that, yes, held his attention instead. They ask if I’m Indigenous, and I think that’s good—I have no doubt these and so many other lands rightfully belong to them. Another interviewer wanted to know what kind of music I like. Others insist on knowing my middle name, a concept that doesn’t make much sense to us Latinos.
Then, I receive advice: Go right, one says. Go left, another insists. Take this off your résumé, one advises; highlight this, another suggests. I’m now on the fifth version of my résumé: removing items, changing formatting, rephrasing the same information, and altering the section order. And the “virtual interviews”? There’s that too: without a single human eye to connect with, I must convince the AI that I can do the job. In other cases, they ask me to submit a video explaining my motivations for working at their company.
But the worst case, I think, is when they ask me to fill out lengthy forms and provide detailed information about experiences that are already clearly stated on my résumé or LinkedIn profile. I like those companies with agile processes where sending the résumé suffices. But are they enough?
I don’t know. I continue to experience all the different modalities of recruitment and selection today. Now, this platform—recommended by a friend. I share my story and document the paths I tread, but for now, I need to get back to it. My routine resembles Chaplin’s in Modern Times; I repeat the same motions until night falls, and then I rest, gathering energy to start over the next day.
LF