Phrases I'm Tired of Hearing

In the job hunt, the phrase I'm seeking, the only one that ultimately matters, is "yes." As in: Yes, we want to interview you. And hopefully soon after: Yes, we want to hire you. 

While searching for a full-time, permanent job, the coveted yes can be elusive. While speaking to distant family members, friends of friends or The Employed about the fact that a job is no where to be found, most people aren't terribly good at assuaging these fears of being un- or underemployed forever. What I have heard with increasing frequency are phrases that are meant to be comforting or helpful, but end up being just plain annoying. 

• "Oh, you'll find something." Presumably meant to be encouraging. It's really dismissive. Like securing a job is as easy as bending over and picking up a pen you dropped. Or as easy as a stroll through the park and finding a bench to sit on for a minute. Either it's not that easy or I'm going about the job hunt in REALLY the wrong way. The result: I'm discouraged.


• "You don't have enough experience." I'm applying for entry-level jobs, of course I don't have a substantial amount of paid experience! So the conundrum becomes this: how am I supposed to gain experience if no one will hire me and put me in the position to earn experience? It's too late for internships, and volunteering doesn't pay any bills.


• "What about [career in healthcare]?"* Just because I'm female, that does NOT mean I have a yearning to be a nurse! At this point in my life I have already discovered that nursing is a potential career and I have ruled it out. If I wanted to be a nurse, I would not have majored in Liberal Arts.


• "Just keep plugging away." Advice given by people who don't have any other advice.


• "Most people don't end up in the career they originally intended." I think this is supposed to be comforting, and the take-away is to just get your foot in the door anywhere and then move around from there.

 As a female, when sharing my fears and frustrations with others, all I want to hear is confirmation from the other person that they heard me and understand how I feel. When I get one of these phrases instead (the unsolicited and unhelpful advice) I'm doubly annoyed: they didn't validate my feelings and they gave me useless garbage disguised as wisdom. Instead of these phrases, I'd rather hear a simple "yeah it's tough" and "good luck" couldn't hurt either. 

What phrase in your job search would you never like to hear again and what would you rather hear instead? 

(This was written while I was still searching for full-time employment and I hadn't narrowed down what job I wanted. In my aimless (and hence fruitless) search for a job, I found myself complaining that no one wanted to hire me and sharing with anyone who would stand still long enough how unhappy I was that I couldn't find a worthy job to apply for. This is not intended to give practical advice on how to behave while searching for a job (such as decide exactly what you want) but is simply intended to share my annoyance at hearing the same unhelpful phrases over and over. The third one(*) is the only one that gives a concrete suggestion, but it's still tiring to hear again and again and again.)