Skipped the resume line. Did this instead.
How I third door-ed into my first job
In life, as author Alex Banayan describes it, there are three ways to get what you want: the First Door (existing path), the Second Door (connections), and the Third Door (creating your own path). When the traditional routes to getting my first job failed, I had to carve out my own entrance.
The First Door
I was two months away from my life being over. I was jobless, and if I still didn’t secure one soon, I would have to leave Hong Kong.
My classmates—far smarter, more prepared, and armed with dean’s list GPAs—had secured highly-prestigious full-time jobs since last July. This was how consulting and banking firms work, and my business school classmates hacked it early on.
I watched my classmates return from their eight-week stints at JP Morgan Stanley Sachs as different people. They were kind before the summer and somehow came out assholes. I didn’t know what their jobs entailed, but I knew that I didn’t want to work alongside those people as colleagues I would spend upwards of 50 hours a week with.
This became a problem for my future job prospects. My degree programme was highly exclusive, only taking in 50 students per year, with a direct pipeline into consulting and investment banking. I was in the coveted program yet I wanted none of what it had to offer. The First Door, the tried-and-true employment path that had been laid out by those who came before me, wasn’t going to work.
Am I even meant for employment in Hong Kong? Everyone seemed to have secured their jobs so easily. Here I was looking for a job that nobody can help with.
Especially since I was set on being a reporter.
The Second Door
My humanities professor had commented on my essay on how to live a genuine life: “Have you ever considered a career in writing?”
The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I had already been rejected by banks and consulting firms anyway. So I pivoted and applied for internships at big-name newsrooms like Bloomberg and The New York Times. Sadly, I got rejected by all of them too.
I took up the strategy of networking, known as the Second Door. I went to my university’s career center, my programme advisor, and any other professor I could pester and asked them: “I want to be a reporter. How do I get there?”
They didn't have an answer. My university didn’t have a journalism department. The closest thing we had was a humanities programme, and even then, half was focused on Chinese literature, a language I am not fluent in.
The existing path wasn’t working. Networking wasn’t working either. Two doors stand shut in front of me. But if I wanted to work in Hong Kong, I'd have to find another door.
The Third Door
I was in the university library scrolling through job postings on LinkedIn when I found a listing for “Editorial Assistant” at a local trade publication called Asian Private Banker. I applied, noting in my application: “I know this is a full-time position. I’m a student. Do you need an intern?”
I received a call a few days later. They didn’t have an internship programme but the company’s Head of Digital was open to meeting me. I went over for coffee. He found out that I was a part of AIESEC, a global organization for students. Turns out that at least five other people in the company were former AIESECers. I got a call a few days later saying they would like to have me as their summer intern. I worked for the publication for ten weeks, dabbling in editorial, research, and business development.
The Non-Existent Return Offer
At the end of my internship, though, they told me they didn’t have space for an additional headcount. With a team of just five reporters, they capped out.
I was bummed, but that’s alright. I had written three solid articles during my ten-week stint. I could use that to show off my skills in my future job applications.
Throughout my senior year, I kept in touch with my colleagues at Asian Private Banker. They were a fun bunch. I had become fast friends with my colleagues, joining them for some after-work drinks and the occasional barbecue. One of them pinned a picture of Olaf on her work desk. I came in the next day with a Simba hoodie. We clocked each other as Disney fans and became best friends.
Fall semester passed. Still jobless.
Spring semester rolled around. Still jobless.
As graduation loomed closer, I began to wonder if I had made a mistake in writing off banking and consulting as companies to work for.
“Kok nikung sih?” My Indonesian friends had asked. Why did you swerve off the road?
Had I been too idealistic? Should I have just followed the First Door like everyone else? These doubts crept in, but deep down, I knew I wouldn’t fit in. I was meant for something else.
The Third Door, Revisited
In March, the Disney-loving ex-colleague texted me: “Hey, Grace is quitting.”
Grace was a sharp, smart, and speedy reporter. She was an absolute beast when it came to writing news articles. For Asian Private Banker to lose a star reporter… that must have been tough.
For Asian Private Banker to lose a reporter… they must have been in need of another.
This was my opportunity. A chance to revisit the Third Door I had cracked open months earlier through my internship and the relationships I'd built.
“Hope you’re doing well,” I emailed my editor. “I’m graduating in two months and would love to come back to Asian Private Banker. Do you by any chance have a position open?”
Of course they had one open. I knew that. But I also wasn’t supposed to know that.
Minutes later, my friend texted me: “The editor just said to the team, ‘Hey I got an email from Rebecca!’ He looks really happy. I think you’ll hear some good news from him soon.”
Sure enough, a few weeks later, I was back in the Asian Private Banker office to sign my employment letter. Rebecca Isjwara, April 2018, no longer jobless.
I had secured the position and the job listing never went up. From their point of view, I was a convenient choice: I was familiar with the job, readily employable, and cheap (since I was a fresh graduate).
The Three Doors
I wish I could say that I was insightful and smart and was able to spot the third door. But the reality is, my profile then would have put me at a disadvantage when being compared to everyone else who had higher GPAs and better language skills (they spoke Chinese) than me. The only way I could stand out is if I present myself as outstanding. I was crystal-clear at what my strengths were: I’m a hard worker, I show up early, I’m a good writer, and I’m a fast learner.
The only way people would see these qualities is if they see me at work. So I hustled my way into the company.
Through this experience, I learned something crucial about myself. My genuine approach to building relationships—not just networking for the sake of advancement—was actually my greatest asset. I connected with people I truly liked, and that sincerity shone through.
I first heard about “the third door” from
. It’s this concept from a book of the same title written by Alex Banayan.In my job search, the first door (my GPA and resumes) led nowhere. The second door wouldn’t give me much either—I was from Indonesia and had just moved to Hong Kong three years prior. I don’t have any family friends to lean on.
But I had the third door. I didn’t stay in touch with my colleagues with the sole intention that I would get a job, but by staying “around”, I remained on their radar.
In my experience, the third door also tends to be the most organic one, the most natural one, the one truest to my character. I am someone who builds relationships with people I truly vibe with, for example, so that ended up being the path that worked.
And when the door knob presented itself—the text from my friend—I burst right through.
Thank you to friends who helped point the directions to this essay: , , and Mak.
Update log:
💡 A great example of third door is
currently third dooring her way into publishing📊 This essay technically didn’t get the most votes last week but
and both messaged me to see this post. They third door-ed their way into this Substack🎲 Obsessed with this season of Dungeons and Drag Queens
🔊 Saw 2NE1 live over the weekend. It was the same set list as when I saw them in 2014 in Jakarta. So much has changed yet their music is still banging
✍🏼 Wrapped up another 400-page journal of morning pages
🤯 Someone from my gym came up to me and asked if I’m the Becky that writes every week on the internet. How freaking cool is that?!
Book a call: Have a bite-sized creative project? Let’s give you a starting line boost a la Mario Kart - https://calendly.com/beckyisj/
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always so endlessly in awe of you <3
also simba hoodie leading to job AND an engagement ring? iconic piece of clothing.
Glad you found the third door! And thank goodness for that Disney-loving ex-colleague ;)