If more than one person ends up with the same overall ranking for a job, Jobmine randomly assigns the job to a lucky individual. We all know this; we don’t seem bothered by it, as we’ve either accepted it or don’t think it will happen to us. There is an element of chance in landing a job.
Step Two
Think about how little control we have over actually getting that co-op job. We apply to so many and rarely consider an application carefully. Our resumes are piled with hundreds of others and screened by multiple HR employees who will glance over your top 6 points in less than 20 seconds. How much can they take away about you in 20 seconds?
That’s why there are interviews: for you to demonstrate your entire engineering capabilities for the next 4 months in a period of 30 minutes. If the employer has already made up their mind about a previous candidate, everyone else pales in comparison through confirmation or availability bias. Afterwards you are ranked, and we already know how much chance is involved there.
Nobody can say that they are completely, personally responsible and in control of getting a job; even arranging your own job requires knowing the right people and meeting the right opportunities. There are many factors in landing a job, and some factors in life are outside of our control.
A Two Step Process
All of the above does not mean that fine-tuning your resume and preparing for interviews are complete wastes of time. Of course, the position you put yourself in has great implications: you get a job by doing your part (Step 1), and then getting lucky (Step 2).
If you do your part well, you are now at slightly better odds. But everybody does Step 1; we all have resumes critiqued and apply to similar jobs, but not everybody gets lucky. And this is something we fail to recognize.
For those of us that don’t have jobs yet, or interviews even, don’t be too hard on yourselves. Being at a great school studying every day is a lot to appreciate. For some people, Step 2 just hasn’t gone their way. At the same time, don’t give up: continuing doing your part and doing it well is the only thing we can control. Focus on Step 1 and don’t be afraid to take chances, because life is a game of chance.
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