Six Interviews, No Offer, and a Mourning Dove Who Believes in Me
- Sara DiNuovo
- Jun 18
- 2 min read
I stepped outside for ten minutes of fresh air—just me, the breeze, and a faint hope my inbox wouldn’t call me “XXXX XXXXXXX”
again.
Smash cut to:
I’m basically the Dr. Dolittle of layoff survivors. Two punk-rock squirrels (Sid Vicious & Johnny Rotten) are squatting in my lilac bush. A widowed grosbeak hired me as her life coach. And every dawn I facilitate group therapy for a mourning-dove single mom who’s one worm away from a breakdown.
Funny thing?
These animals have better project management skills than the last decade of hiring managers combined.
My job search highlight reel— just this week
6 interviews → Vanished faster than crypto in 2022.
“Quick take-home project” → We have to respond to an RFP in 3 hours and we’d like you to do it for free
Rejection email: “Dear Sahara” (Round FIVE. Five!) → I mean..I am not a desert and I have no “h” in my name..smh - no words
Coaching job seekers pro-bono because apparently empathy and kindness is a side hustle and I give a damn
Meanwhile, the birds:
Show up and trust me to do the same
Don’t treat a résumé gap like it is a threat to world order
Would rather eat suet than my self-worth.
Flight-School Wisdom for my Unemployed Friends
Interview #6? Congratulations—you’re now free strategy consulting
“We’re still meeting candidates” translates to we’re binge-swiping like Tinder, but for labor we can’t afford
Culture-fit fetish? Birds call that flocking—they nail it in 30 seconds, no panel debrief required
So yes, you may imagine why myself and Willow, my 83 lb superstar rescue, have joined the aviary resistance. Willow (works for Brad, the mouse) and carries #AlexP books around for me, like she’s a pack horse distributing holy texts. Honestly, her follow-up game is flawless.
Truth bombs:
Birds don’t need “passion performances.”
Birds are the culture.
Show up, vibe, or fly. That’s it—that’s the onboarding process.
No 12-person Zoom trials.
No vibes-based rejections.
No Chad offering “a competitive $23/hr, but you’ll gain exposure!” bullshit sales pitch.
So if you’re doom-scrolling LinkedIn wondering whether it’s you or the system:
It’s the system.
You know what I mean. The hives start crawling up your neck as you open the e-mail you have been waiting for all week. The e-mail that arrives with news so disappointing and a rejection reason so convoluted you wonder if this is an allergic reaction to lunch or if you are THAT unhirable. Well, happy to say congrats! Your corporate immune system is working and those hives? Your body’s BS detector is on full blast.
That birdsong in your ear? Not madness—just a reminder you’re meant to soar, not beg. So..
Keep showing up.
Keep being kind.
Keep speaking up and out.
Help others.
If all else fails, I still have a pretty special group of birds and a network of people I care very much about.
Sara DiNuovo
Chief Heart Officer | Patient Advocacy OG
Speaker. Coach. Hiring-reform instigator. Shoulder to cry on. Coffee-with-birds enthusiast (BYO suet, book deal & an actual offer letter).
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