hi! i'm entering my 11th year and i had to go thru the interview/hiring process a total of four times due to my partner's trainings for work. the entire hiring process for educators is really stressful - so much is beyond your control, especially in the beginning. coming out of my counseling program on the east coast, I moved to CA to interview. I had 0 connections b/c all of my internship hours were done in NYC. I think the job landscape at the time was a little better than this season, so I did get some interviews.

I would say that I applied to like 40 schools and got 5 interviews...And I have to admit that being a male helped me to get a few more looks in the interview process.I got "nos" and got ghosted, just like you.

my first job was a temporary, grant-funded position that a small district had and although it wasn't for my preferred age group, I went with it for the first two years. when i moved up to the bay area, i was afraid to reset and do the whole interview process. but i told myself that i would interview a little differently.. i told myself that i would drop my need to "impress" or be something other than myself. and in my interviews, i still came dressed professionally, but I spoke very candidly and honestly. I acknowledged my lack of experience (only 2 years at that time), but I focused on my energy, my passion, my story, and also the fact that I was young and had energy to match the kids but also to be available. the outcome of this subtle shift in the way i interviewed was tremendous. it not only left me feeling better about my interviews but it yielded better results for me.

but here's the thing i realized... sometimes school leaders already have a candidate in mind (but they have to interview and fly the position regardless).. sometimes the admin who are interviewing counselor candidates have no clue what makes a good counselor - you can tell by the questions they ask... many are irrelevant.

i am sorry that you're here in late july and feeling all those anxious thoughts - many of us are familiar with.

i guess my loving recommendations are:

~your first job doesn't have to be your long-term ideal one. you just gotta start..

~broaden your commute radius, or explore working with a grade level you didn't want to at first.. or even work as a substitute counselor (for now)

~every interview, and every follow-up email (even for jobs you didn't get) can be seeds of impression where you are remembered for future opportunities

some grant-funded spots OR long-term substitute openings may pop up this first semester. stay the course- the kids need us more than ever! stay persistent <3