I secured my ideal job without submitting an application. Here’s the story of  how I accomplished this and my tips for fellow job seekers.

Alicia Strata encountered difficulties in finding a marketing position after completing her studies during the economic downturn known as the Great Recession. More than ten years later, she faced another challenging job search but eventually landed her dream role in the previous year. Now 38, Alicia works as a marketing creator and integrator at Alabama World Travel, a prestigious travel agency located in Montgomery, Alabama.

In an article published by Business Insider in July, Strata was featured along with seven other individuals who graduated during the Great Recession, shedding light on their early career obstacles and providing insights for recent college graduates from Generation Z.

I’ve personally experienced attempting to kickstart my career during times of limited hiring opportunities twice – first right after college and then again last year following a decade spent raising my children at home. The second attempt was more daunting; it took me over a year to secure employment. Nonetheless, my journey culminated in landing the job of my dreams.

My time with Teach for America taught me valuable lessons in resilience. Upon graduating from Columbia College Chicago in May 2010 amidst soaring unemployment rates due to the Great Recession, I aimed to secure a position at an advertising agency with my degree in marketing communications. However, given the tough job market conditions, I decided to shift gears towards teaching, seeking a purposeful career path that was viable amid a shrinking job market.

Teach for America provided me with stability, a sense of mission, and structure during turbulent times. Following graduation, I relocated to South Dakota for my teaching assignment as a 4th-grade teacher on a Native American reservation where access to amenities like Walmart was limited.

Working with children facing significant challenges at home taught me resilience and forced me to set aside my ego. Teaching middle schoolers can be a revealing experience when it comes to confronting your insecurities.

While Teach for America didn’t directly propel my marketing career forward, it played a crucial role in my personal growth and development as a leader. It equipped me with essential life experiences that helped me cultivate the resilience and adaptability required for future job pursuits.

Upon completing the program in 2012, I spent a year working at an international school in South Korea where my then-boyfriend resided. After getting married in 2013 and promptly becoming pregnant, I transitioned into being a stay-at-home mom post-childbirth. Over the years, I engaged in remote part-time marketing work for a digital advertising company from 2015 to 2020; however, these roles did not offer substantial career advancement opportunities.

As circumstances would have it, the gig concluded shortly before the pandemic-induced recession hit after the company underwent an abrupt sale. Given that I had just welcomed my third child and was struggling to balance various responsibilities, the timing of this change seemed somewhat fortuitous.

In 2021, following our relocation to Montgomery, Alabama, I found myself navigating single parenthood alongside rebuilding my career from scratch following an unexpected end to my marriage about a year later.

At the onset of my renewed job search journey, despite facing discouragement from constant rejections while managing full-time parenting responsibilities simultaneously, I remained hopeful. In 2023, I secured a part-time seasonal role at Hobby Lobby to regain momentum amidst deteriorating job market conditions. Although plans were initially made for me to continue beyond the seasonal period, I was eventually let go early in 2024.

The setback of losing even a part-time retail position was disheartening; nonetheless…