22M, recently graduated, and struggling to understand why I can't seem to land a job
I (22M) recently graduated from college with a year+ of experience working in Marketing and Business Development for a multitude of companies, either as an intern or associate. I have a lot of projects under my belt, along with awards and accomplishments that have accumulated from these experiences.
I'm currently working for a small-business female undergarment company, and because of the opportunities I've had, I've had countless experiences working within more feminine environments and cultures. I never intended for things to happen this way; some opportunities just fell into my lap more than others. Inconsequentially, a majority of the jobs I've applied for have also been female-dominated, which I understand is just the nature of marketing in general.
Now, I want to preface this by saying that I'm a very scruffy-looking dude, and I sometimes feel like my appearance can intimidate people. I've applied to nearly 1,000 jobs and have only gotten around 8 interviews. Of those, 3 made it to final interviews, where it was usually me or another person as the final candidate.
It could be coincidence or happenstance, but every single candidate who has been picked over me has been a woman who graduated around the same time as me, but seemingly has less experience.
I want to be very clear that I'm not trying to undermine these candidates or say they were chosen because of their gender. My personality, appearance, or simply the way I present myself may not have been what the team was looking for. They could have been a better fit in ways that I don't see.
But after experiencing this repeatedly, I've started feeling more and more isolated from the idea that experience, accomplishments, and having a massive number of projects under my belt are actually the things that win employers over. That's something my professors always emphasized, and I'm starting to question whether I've misunderstood how this process actually works.
I'm also unsure whether being male is somehow creating issues for me during the hiring process. I've always felt confident in my body and who I am, but lately I feel like I'm at an unsteady point in my life, and I don't really know how to interpret what's happening.
I recognize that women have experienced this feeling for generations, especially when entering workforces that were historically male-dominated and where they weren't always given the same opportunities. I don't want to undervalue or demean anyone's experiences, and I know that ultimately, this may simply be a "me" issue.
I'm just wondering how I can approach this differently and tackle these employers with a different kind of atmosphere or attitude.
The most frustrating part is that a majority of the companies I've interviewed with seemed to really like me. That has honestly led to an even greater sense of false hope. I've received rejection emails where they were upfront about how difficult the decision was and even said they would have chosen me under different circumstances, but obviously, it never panned out.
At this point, I'm trying to figure out how to put my mind at ease and understand what I'm experiencing. Has anyone else gone through something similar, or have any advice on how I can change my approach to the job search without losing confidence in the experience and accomplishments I've worked so hard to build?