This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jenna Hoffman, a 28-year-old communications professional, graduate-school student, and entrepreneur in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
Late last year, I applied for a communications and event manager position at a local nonprofit. What happened afterward drove me to quit job hunting.
I had been on the market for nearly two years by that point, while pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. Since my classes are online, I knew I could do a 9-to-5 job during the week and then do school at night and on weekends.
The nonprofit invited me to do a phone interview in late November. They said they expected to fill the role by the start of 2026, but then I was invited to go on two in-person interviews, one in December and the other in early January. The meetings took about five hours in total, and I met with several employees.
I had all the experience necessary for the job. I felt like I was in alignment with the place, and since they interviewed me three times, I thought they must like me and that I was on the right track.
I went to Iowa State for my undergrad, and it was drilled into us that, no matter what, you must send a thank-you note immediately after an interview, so I did. I copied all five people who interviewed me. Their emails were available online, and a few replied saying it was great to meet me.
After about a week of silence, I sent another email asking for a status update. They said that they still hadn’t made their determination. Two more weeks passed, and I didn’t hear anything. Then I checked their Facebook page since I knew that’s where they’re most active online, and where their target audience is.
That’s when I found out I didn’t get the job. The nonprofit had put up a post a few days earlier announcing that they’d hired someone for the position, along with a photo of the person.
At first, I thought I must be confused. Was I looking at the right organization’s Facebook page? I was. Then I thought, oh no, did I miss a phone call or an email? I’m sure that I would have heard something. Yet I couldn’t find any evidence of being contacted.
If the expectation is that I should send a thank-you note after a job interview, I should anticipate the courtesy of hearing, “No, thank you, we’re not interested.” I decided to email everyone whom I interviewed with to let them know how I felt. Here’s what I wrote:
I sent the email because I’m in the communications profession. People in my industry are supposed to be able to have hard conversations. If this is the person I want to be, this is the message I should be sharing, and if I have an opportunity to create change, I’m going to. That’s just the kind of person I am.
Two of the nonprofit’s leaders wrote back, saying they were sorry about what happened and that they would make changes. I don’t know if they have yet or ever will, but at least they’re aware.
This experience happened after I’d spent most of 2024 and 2025 applying to jobs — an average of 25 a week — and going on countless interviews without success. I think employers saw my pending graduate degree as a problem. They couldn’t understand how someone could do grad school and have a full-time job.
I’m a busy person. In addition to school, I’m flipping a house and building a philanthropy-based housecleaning business to help domestic-abuse survivors earn a living wage. I wear all these different hats because I have high-functioning ADHD. I have no chill. I am go-go-go all the time.
I think most people are afraid to use their voice as I did, but I see that as a strength and a sign of leadership. I’m now done with job hunting. I graduate in May, and my plan is to transition into private practice. I’ll serve clients with supervision until I meet the necessary requirements to strike out on my own.
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