Prologue: "You Can't Get In Without Connections"—The Day I, Who Couldn't Even Get My Resume Looked At, Forced Open the 'Closed Doors of Job Hunting and Career Changes'

"You can't get in without connections."
With those words,
my job hunt
began with being "turned away at the door."
In that moment, I felt acutely that I was standing in front of a "closed door."
At the time, lifetime employment was the norm, and it was a "rare" era for women to build careers.
You can change jobs as many times as you want.
But you only hunt for a job once.
That is precisely why I wanted to be particular about this job hunt, the transition from student to working professional.
And these very words were the "first strike" that set my 30-year career in motion.

Those words from that day began to move my career quietly, yet surely.
It's okay to be clumsy, or to take the long way around.
Even so, moving forward... that determination would later lead to "words that change your life."

No connections, regional city, woman.
This is a record of the 30 years I spent carving out a career, despite being told that my background at the time made it disadvantageous to get hired.
From the time I couldn't even get my resume looked at, to the time I broke through five interviews and landed a job offer.
And that strange experience at age 40, when I went from a "mistakenly sent rejection notice" to a reversed hiring decision.
This series is a "record of breakthroughs" born from real experience, aimed at
"everyone who wants to open the doors to their career."I have the perspective of both a job seeker/career changer and a recruitment PR representative.There are things I have seen precisely because I have experienced both.

Just by knowing the points that companies are really looking at, your interview pass rate will change.
And what I saw from my experience as a recruitment PR representative is that
there are "common desired candidate profiles" and "patterns" that every company looks for, regardless of whether it's now or in the past.
That was the true intention of the companies.It will likely also serve as a hint for you to think about the "axis" of your own job hunting or career change, and to change your career.

If you are currently carrying the "pain of not being chosen," this experience story will surely be a source of strength.

■ What you will gain from this series
・Hints on how to change from the side that isn't chosen to the side that is needed
・Points that companies are really looking at
・Ways of thinking that move your career, regardless of age or environment

■ What you can read in this series
① The reality of job hunting without connections
Taking on an industry where I was told "you can't get in without connections"
② The "core" of the talent companies are really looking for
The "common 'pattern' of talent evaluated by any company" that I have seen as a recruitment PR representative
③ Criteria for choosing a company you won't regret
Finding your own "axis" and aligning with a company's values
④ The reality thrust upon women's careers
Whether to make a career change a passing point or a turning point.
⑤ A reversed career change at age 40
Does an "age barrier" exist in consecutive rejections?

■ Who I want to read this
　・Those who don't know what criteria to use to choose a company for job hunting
　・Those who keep failing interviews and are losing confidence
　・Those who are anxious about job hunting in a regional area
　・Those who are worried about their career as a woman
　・Those who are concerned about their age and can't take the step to change jobs
　・Those who feel anxious, wondering "is there a company that needs me?"
No matter what situation you are in, there is always a place that needs you.

■ Series structure (14 episodes in total)
Prologue: The door to job hunting and career changes (you are here)
Episode 1: In front of the closed door—The day I was told "you can't do it without connections"
Episode 2: The "talent pattern" that changes your pass rate
And
in between these,
many choices and events follow.
Episode 13: Career change at 40—Quiet despair
Episode 14: The day a mistakenly sent rejection notice moved my life
Epilogue: When in doubt, choose the more interesting path

■ Finally
I spent 30 years learning how to open closed doors.
I want to pass that experience on to you.
For every step you take,
your life may change little by little.

I would be happy if this story
could gently support
your future choices.

Episode 1 has been published.
Episode 2 has been published.
Episode 3 has been published.
Episode 4 has been published.
Episode 5 has been published.
Episode 6 has been published.
Episode 7 has been published.
Episode 8 has been published.
Episode 9 has been published.
Episode 10 has been published.

I love Starbucks so much that
I've gotten a bit obsessive about it (lol).
I've even made an order sticker notebook and I enjoy
going on whirlwind solo day trips to visit Starbucks stores
to collect store stamps in the My Starbucks app. I hope you enjoy my slightly crazy Starbucks activities.
These are my published Starbucks activities.

Logging into Starbucks: Morning activities for schedule adjustment
Starbucks x The Devil Wears Prada 2 x Career
[Starbucks solo trip: The 'bookmark' I made to visit 25 stores in one whirlwind day (Record of my training, Episode 1)]