Keep Going Til’ the Juice Ain’t Worth the Squeeze

I was checking a reference this week and the manager said he instructs his reps to, “keep working with someone difficult until the juice ain't worth the squeeze.” Well, amen to that, my friend.

And how about we adopt this juice-limit notion to the job search, too!

Even if the job description has your name written all over it and is 100% perfect for you, if the hiring manager or recruiter hasn’t replied back and it’s been like a month already, just stop squeezing. Yes, it is beyond rude for candidates to be ghosted; if you took the time to apply for a job, then you deserve an answer…even if that answer is “no.” Unfortunately, it’s not what happens in reality.

So, how do we reduce the fruitlessness of a search? If you’re squeezing a job opportunity but there’s no more juice/communication/feedback forthcoming, just chuck the fruit and keep focusing on other opportunities. If the hiring manager or recruiter does reach back out to you at a later date, don’t be critical of the delay and don’t ask, “Orange ya gonna tell me why ya didn’t call me back sooner?” Instead, just go with the flow and see where the conversation takes you.