This as told essay is based on a conversation with Kymberly McClain, a 45-year-old living in Las Vegas. She previously worked at a small nonprofit until she resigned in 2024. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Two years ago, I was working as an assistant director at a small nonprofit in California focused on providing resources to the homeless population.
After a few leadership changes, I didn’t feel like I was getting the support I needed. In August 2024 I resigned.
When I started looking for a new jobI had so much confidence in it. I had gained experience and felt that I had parted on good terms, and that I had even received a letter of recommendation.
I thought I would slide into a different role. Instead, me had difficulty finding work for almost two years.
I started applying for jobs I never thought I would consider
When I started searching, I applied for assistant director, program manager, case manager, and other social services positions.
I used LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, CareerBuilder and other job boards. I sought CV help because I had not been on the job market for a few years and did not know what had changed.
September, October, November and December passed and nothing happened.
As the search continued, I began to broaden the scope of the types of jobs I applied for. I stopped thinking that I could easily get another job as an assistant director and started applying for jobs retail jobs at places like Burlington Coat Factory. I was willing to take anything.
Ultimately, I deleted LinkedIn out of frustration
LinkedIn was probably the platform I used the most during the first six months of my search.
I went to LinkedIn training about how to get a job and read application tips. At one point I was applying for multiple jobs a day and changing my resume for each job. I would research the company and position before applying.
But I had no luck. I remember seeing comments from other people on LinkedIn asking if anyone else was having trouble finding a job or getting employers to respond.
As the rejections piled up, I started to question everything. Was it my race? My age? My lack of college education? I even wondered if I was on someone’s list of people not to hire. I never thought I would be out of work for so long.
After about a year of searching, I was exhausted by the rejection. I started to withdraw from my job search and eventually deleted my LinkedIn account out of frustration. I thought, What’s the point?
My long job search presented financial challenges
My job search took a toll on my finances, and I had to apply for a job government assistance. For a while, I went back and forth between staying with a friend in California and with family in Las Vegas while I tried to figure things out. I eventually moved in with my relatives in Las Vegas.
Eventually I felt like I had to make a financial contribution to the household. I had to choose between helping my family and paying for the storage unit I stored my belongings in when I moved, so I gave up the storage unit and lost the belongings in it.
When I wasn’t looking for workI focused more of my time on a nonprofit I had founded years earlier, based in part on my own experiences navigating the social services system. It helps people experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic violence find housing and other resources.
It didn’t generate any income, but I needed to feel like I was doing something productive.
Sometimes rejection is a detour
At the beginning of this year I tried the labor market again. I have requested several billing roles in healthcarebut I was rejected from all of them.
Then my daughter sent me a link to a remote customer service job. I completed an assessment, went through the process and received a yes.
It’s full-time customer service call center job. It pays significantly less than I made in my previous position, but after being out of work for so long, I’m glad someone said yes. When I got the offer, I thought: Okay, I’m not excluded from the labor market.
I’m still not sure what the future holds, but I plan to continue working on my nonprofit while I work on this new job.
My advice to other job seekers is to have faith in closed doors. Sometimes rejection is a detour, and sometimes it’s the push you need to build something for yourself.
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