Fresh Grad - Reflections Amidst Job Search

As I was exploring career choices, I realized a few things:

(i) Even if you are strong in certain areas, you may not be interested in applying these strengths to a field. 

(ii) Even if you demonstrate interest in a field, you may not get the job.

(iii) Even if you get the job, you may not deliver what you claim at the interview.

In today's competitive labor market, every job seeker needs to know (i) and be able to clearly articulate it. It is the bare necessity, since your potential employers will not have the time to sit down and do some personality tests or career exploration tool kits to "help you know yourself better". 

Point (ii) stands out in the job search process. I have strong interests in problem solving, analyzing trends, research and facts & figures, but I think I had not exactly demonstrated why I am able to add value to the company that I'm applying for. The difference between a business and a hobby is clear: while a strong passion is required for both, the former churns out money while the latter may not necessarily do so. If you are very interested in the job but you can't show the employer that you can make/save them lots of money, you're unlikely to get hired.

If things could get any worse, it's the last point. One of the greatest fear of employers is to make the wrong hire. It is a complete waste of money, time and resources. When hiring a fresh graduate, companies are making a huge gamble- the person is rough and unproven, and there's no damn way to recoup potential losses in the future. Some internship experiences may help, but internships are a vastly different world from real work.  

The last point also produces some difficulties: is it an attitude or aptitude problem (or worse, a combination of both)? Or is the person simply not the right fit? Are there any other extraneous factors which may have affected his/her work performance?  

With regards to this, I also cannot give a certain answer. In the first place, is anything ever certain? As a fresh grad, I can only promise to give my 100% on the job, to learn fast, work tactically and deliver results asap. If there's anything that I can show for, it will be through other mediums like articles, personal projects, volunteerism, etc. 

Personally I had to reflect and conduct some form of introspection, to ask myself clearly 

- What are my strengths?  

- How had I proven myself in these areas?

There are also the issue of weaknesses. Again these are the possible questions:

- What are my weaknesses?  

- When are the vulnerabilities revealed? 

- And most importantly: How am I coping/improving on my weaknesses?

As of now things had been going smoothly. I am still learning HTML Basics at Codeacademy, planning for a personal market research project, meeting a non-profit next week to discuss a report and read up on BRICSTIMP (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa,Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines). Hopefully better things will arrive in the weeks to come.