How This Woman Reminds Us Why It’s Important to Celebrate Your Wins
Do you remember how you felt when you received your first job offer from a company you’ve wanted to work for? Some of us celebrated with dinner, while others might’ve enjoyed a nice glass of brew. Despite how we decide to treat ourselves, no job celebration can top what Benita Abraham did for herself when she was offered her dream job in health administration.
The Southern California native commemorated her new job offer with an announcement photoshoot that eventually went viral. Her Facebook photo album titled #Employed featured 17 love moments with her and her offer letter. She and her friends staged the shoot using an iPhone, the beach, and other fun props.
Most of us don’t celebrate our wins with the same enthusiasm as this 37-year-old, especially when it comes to career milestones. If you put in the hours to study the company’s portfolio, familiarize yourself with current employees via LinkedIn and prepare for the interview, why not be jubilant? Despite the job market, when you stay optimistic and put in the work, seeing an offer letter in your inbox should feel rewarding.
Here are some healthy reminders to always celebrate.
The Job Market is Still a Tough Place to Enter
In 2015 only 14% of that year’s college graduates had steady career jobs. That means 5 out of 6 college graduates, 86% of the class of 2015, had zero job prospects when they received their degrees, according to AfterCollege.com. The job market is a tough place to enter, and the job search process in 2015 took an average of 43 days. Depending on the industry and the economy, it takes some people several months and even years to break into their respective fields. According to Glassdoor.com research, the job interview process alone takes an average of 23 days. Just like you, Benita applied to countless jobs in her 7-month job search, 200-300 jobs, to be exact. Therefore, finding ways to stand out among the thousands of applicants to get an interview and then to be offered the position is a feat on its own.
Weddings & Babies Aren’t the Only Things Worthy of Praise.
The older we get, the more our social media timelines begin to change and be filled with new engagement and pregnancy announcements. Countless photo updates of newborns and weddings seem to take precedence over everything else.
“I’m not making a stance on marriage or children or anything like that, but there are other celebrations like academic celebrations, and career or even finding your faith, whatever it might be, taking a trip. There are enough bad things in this world, and I think the good should be celebrated way more,” Benita told Forbes.
At times it may seem like career and education milestones may be deemed unimportant as everyone shifts their interest to wedding dresses and onesies, but all milestones are worthy of applause. Benita took the very thing that filled up her timeline and made it about her job announcement. She documented her journey as a love affair with romantic beach scenes and chalkboard calligraphy. She replaced the would-be fiance in her pictures with her framed offer letter.
Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy
It takes some recent grads a few months to a year or more to enter the industry in which they received their degrees. Setbacks will come, but you also have to be ready for when opportunities come. Benita isn’t a recent grad, but it did take her seven gruesome months to secure her dream job. Those seven months probably included countless emails, resume revisions, job board applications, phone interviews, informational meetings, networking events, and coffee dates. You know the drill. “After eight years at the same company, I just kind of took a little bit of a break. I went and traveled and visited my family in India, and after I got back, I didn’t start the job hunt until February,” she told Forbes. No matter what stage in life, the job market impacts us all, so getting the job after putting in the work makes the offer that much sweeter.
Remember, jobs may come and go, but having the opportunity to get paid to do what you love is priceless, especially when you know how much time and effort it took to get it. Stop and smell the flowers while you have them and celebrate your achievements.