Hitesh

"I haven't come this far to only come this far."

Something that I held onto so tight.

The words that changed my perspective on those nights when packing my bags for India seemed like the only way out.

I perfectly planned for UK. MSc Management. No one plans for 1,580 rejections.

I started with my applications, typically, a spreadsheet filled with all the companies I applied to.

The spreadsheet grew. 100 applications. 500. 1,000. 1,500.

Each "unfortunately" email broke me down little by little.

There were days where I felt like I was on the right path. Writing the perfect cold emails, sending thoughtful LinkedIn messages, feeling like I was making real connections.

Then came the dry spells. The silence and the ghosting.

The number of times I have felt like "What am I doing wrong?" or "Should I just go home?" is innumerable.

The roller coaster never stopped. Up with hope. Down with rejections. Up with an interview invitation. Down with "we've decided to proceed with other candidates."

Throughout it all, two things made the difference.

First, that document that made recruiters notice me. The Value Proposition Document, something most candidates don't bother with. It showed not just skills on paper, but initiative in action. In a job market like in the UK, where standing out is everything, this extra bit of effort spoke volumes.

Second, the mindset shift. I realised something profound; it wasn't just my CV that needed to be improved. It was me.

Every rejection taught me something about myself, about the job market, about what employers truly value.

Had I started applying from day one of my MSc, perhaps the journey would have been shorter. But then again, perhaps I needed every one of those 1,580 rejections to become the person who deserved that one acceptance.

Twelve months. Twenty interviews. Five final rounds.

Then one day: "Hi Hitesh, we would like to offer you..."

I read those words and thought of all the times I nearly quit. It was a victory!

So to you reading this right now: Easy never changed anything. The path isn't meant to be smooth. Make those changes – in your documents, in your approach, in yourself.

And remember,

you haven't come this far to only come this far.