Vanshika

There were nights I cried after interviews. Days when I didn’t recognise the person I was pretending to be.

But I still showed up.

I chose Ireland because it was affordable and the tech industry was growing. I took a loan, left home, and placed everything I had on one decision.

I graduated in 2023 and started job hunting right after. I didn’t know the right way to begin. I just knew I had to make it work.

2,000 applications. 1,984 rejections. 16 interviews. 8 final rounds. 1 offer.

Balancing part-time work, university coursework, and job applications was exhausting.

Some days, I had to choose between eating, sleeping, or applying to one more role.

But the hardest part wasn’t the workload. It was what was happening inside.

I started to lose confidence.

I began acting like someone I wasn’t, hoping it would impress hiring managers. It didn’t.

Each interview left me feeling more unsure of myself. Each rejection cut a little deeper.

But I didn’t stop.

I would cry at night, then wake up the next day and try again.

The change came when I decided to stop pretending.

I began showing up as myself. And I got intentional about my strategy.

Unimad helped me turn it around.

Their LinkedIn Optimisation helped recruiters find me. The Value Proposition Document gave me the edge to get interviews. Unibot made cold emails and CV customisation feel easier and smarter. Creating a portfolio helped me finally take ownership of my story.

I went from chasing companies to having companies notice me.

This journey was never just about finding a job. It was about becoming someone who was ready to do the job well.

I learnt how to handle rejection without letting it define me, how to express my strengths without pretending to be someone else. And most importantly, how to keep going, even when it felt like no one was watching.

Be patient. Two years is not too long if it changes your life. Keep showing up. Even on the days you don’t feel like it. Never lose yourself. The right opportunity is for you, not for the version you think you need to become.

From feeling lost in May 2023 to landing the offer in April 2025, this journey gave me more than a job.

It gave me myself back.

And now, every rejection feels like it was guiding me to exactly where I was meant to be.