First Time Looking by Tuur Verheyde
Spoilt,
Looking for a job straight
Out of Uni
Never worked a day
Except for studying—that doesn’t count, duh—
Not even a student gig,
Except for that publishing
I try. My excuse
Is I had depression for a couple
Of years. Couldn’t manage
To be a student well enough
To be working in the downtime.
My excuse sucks, it reads all
The same to employers:
No experience, none.
Label as layabout I guess.
These days,
It’s not enough to have a degree,
To be bilingual. Gotta have
That experience already in the bag
Before your first time looking
For work. Besides, bilingual isn’t enough
Round these parts. If number one is Dutch
Then number two better be French;
The border is close and apparently
Some don’t like to learn when
They cross. Not even English.
So it’s up to you to make sure
You’ve got the triple pack of professional
Parlance. Alternative One is
The hours-long commute,
Go work in a city where
You can’t even afford to rent.
Alternative Two is never mind
The degree; take what you can
Find and don’t complain. There are
People who need these jobs
Not to starve. This is dog-eat-dog,
These scraps aren’t easy
To come by.
Still nothing, eh?
Don’t be frustrated. Be better!
Pimp that resume!
Get that social media
Trap in place. Follow
These courses on how
To bullshit more efficiently
And with more gusto.
Here’s how to find that job
You’re overqualified for,
But somehow still can’t get.
Your cynicism is nothing
Compared to what you need
To make it
Through this job
Market and come out whole,
Time to upgrade:
Here’s how to smother
Every semblance of a dream,
Settle for less in a way that
Makes the desperation
Seem dignified,
Perhaps find something
To perfume away all the regret
And disillusionment,
Turn the unflattering comparisons
Into bitter competitions; turn professional
Success into your sole metric for human
Value. Here’s how to stop telling yourself
You were made for something more
And accept that this station
Is as far as the mobility goes
These days. Here’s how to find
Work—
And perhaps
Keep it. Sometimes growth
Demands a redundancy blood
Sacrifice. Besides, who could have
Foreseen the pandemic
And the last economic crises,
Apart from all those
Who did?
Tuur Verheyde is a twenty-four year old Belgian poet. His work often discusses current events, progressive politics, spirituality and highbrow and popular culture as well as personal experiences and stories. Twitter: @TuurVerheyde