This is the second anecdote of the first article: “Finding a Job in Spain as a Bachelor in Arts.” As promised, I will present you here four different anecdotes that I lived myself through this hurtful process of finding a job after graduating. These experiences were that much enjoyable that I decided to start my own company.

I have found several offers in plenty of platforms like LinkedIn, InfoJobs, etc, or even stores with a respectable background that look for new employees and afterwards, they call you for informing you that they have decided to send someone else from other selling point. I have encountered two different companies that have done this in the same month. I applied to two diverse companies for two very different positions: one for the position of shop assistant on a well-known luxury fashion boutique and other one for a digital marketing strategist position on remote.

The boutique was asking for a person who spoke fluent English, that had experience in the luxury fashion department and that could make easy purchases online from the store, helping the customers to buy their products online from the same shop. I was perfect for the role, in fact I lived ten minutes away by foot, so the position was basically made for me. I nailed all the interviews, I even was invited to meet with the supervisor at the store to meet her and know each other in person and count it as the final interview, nevertheless, she told me to wait for three days for the contract. The day she was supposed to call me for the contract she reached me to tell me that the position just got cancelled and that maybe I would be considered for the Christmas campaign.

The manager called me in November and she asked me if I was still interested. I answered “Yes, absolutely” and she was really happy for it and sorry and the same time for the decision her boss had made in the beginning. I went there before the selection date for the Christmas campaign to say hi and they were not only not interested in hiring me, but they were not interested in hiring anybody. Not even another person that was not me. To this day, I still do not understand what happened.

That same month I was contacting several different companies for applying to diverse positions. One of those was a great remote position: great pay, minimum responsibility, quite creative projects, interesting and great chances to learn and grow in the company..., you know how this goes. In short, I was really interested. Nonetheless, when I was filling all the blanks in the application internet went wrong and I could not fill all the gaps but the application got sent anyway. Because of this, I contacted the HR member of the selection. I explained the problem in my email and I even attached them my cover letter and curriculum in case they had not received my data. The answer, and I am writing it literally was: “Do not mind, we are not hiring anybody anyway.” I asked him: “Then why are you posting job positions?” I never got any response.

What I cannot understand no matter how hard I try is: if you are not looking for an employee, and you are just looking for the competition, do not ask for a cover letter, do not ask for curriculum, just check our LinkedIn profiles yourself! We have to write a cover letter for every single position, we have to adapt our curricula every single time. Our time is money too! And the manners! If I dared to answer like that to anyone right now in an interview or in any meeting, I would not be contacted nor respected in any work meetings. Be aware of the companies you reach and be careful out there. Do not work for free and take care! Good luck with job hunting! Hope my experience serves.