𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

This one has been sitting in my drafts for well over a month. As I prepared to haul my son’s and niece’s show pigs to the Allen County Fair early this morning, I thought it was a good time to dust off the cobwebs and share this reflection.

It hit my inbox after days of silence: the “Thanks for applying, but…” email from a company I was genuinely excited about.

Of the more than 45 job applications that have gone nowhere these past few months, this one stings the most. Not because it’s a good company with solid products. Not because they seem to treat their employees well. Not because former employees sing their praises. It’s none of those reasons.

This one hurts because I championed this company in my previous roles. I pushed to include their product in feed formulas because it was the right solution. I worked with their team to verify usage, promoted it to customers, and, in many ways, became a brand ambassador without ever wearing their badge.

This one hurts because I thought the respect I’d earned over nearly two decades of support might have led to a simple 30-minute conversation with the hiring manager. I didn’t expect special treatment or a guaranteed offer, but I did expect to be seen.

This one hurts. And no, I won’t forget it.

But I will keep going. I’ll keep showing up. I’ll keep putting my best foot forward.