Reflections on Landing a Job in London

Author on Xiaohongshu: Lava Custard Bun (Made-It-Abroad Edition)

After finally landing a job and settling in for a while, watching it get dark earlier during winter time, I sometimes look out the window and think about when I first arrived in the UK. It feels so distant now, like a dream.

Those first few months were really rough. Non-EU, no local experience, CVs getting auto-rejected by the system — it felt like before I could even say “hello,” the job had already said “goodbye.”
I used to refresh my inbox every day. Looking back it’s almost funny, but at the time it nearly pushed me into depression.

I had applied to some roles before, but it was as if I hadn’t applied at all — everything just sank without a trace.
When my summer internship ended, my thesis was submitted, and people around me started getting offers, the pressure suddenly hit hard. At gatherings, I dreaded hearing “so-and-so got an offer from…” I felt like a lost little animal on the streets of London — everyone else had found the exit while I was still going in circles.

Later I started networking like crazy. A senior student saw how bad my mental state was and offered to help push my CV forward.
By then I was numb. Blind applications had almost made me cry — how much worse could it get?
And then something shifted. Just when you think life won’t get any kinder, it quietly opens a small crack of light for you.

Two weeks later, I received my first interview invitation in the UK.
I was genuinely stunned. So I wasn’t completely invisible after all.

The interviews, preparation, and waiting that followed weren’t as glamorous as people imagine.
I doubted myself over and over, didn’t dare tell my family, didn’t dare scroll LinkedIn and see others celebrating their offers.
But I still pushed through every round, every wait, every moment I almost gave up.

When I finally landed the job, there wasn’t much of a victorious feeling.
It was more like:
“Finally, I can breathe.”

Looking back now, I didn’t have a strong background, connections, or an outstanding CV.
The only reason I made it through was:
After breaking down, I still opened my laptop the next day and kept applying.
And there was that person who was willing to pass along my CV when I was at my most lost.

If you’re in London right now feeling anxious, crying, or doubting your life — don’t rush yourself. Truly, everyone goes through this.
But once you get one chance to be seen, the road ahead really does get easier.

I hope you land your role soon too.
All of us trying to make it in the UK deserve a little more kindness from life.