ATLANTA—Calling it a vital, formative experience that led him to find his true calling, junior sales associate Matthew Swenson recalled Wednesday the desperate and exhausting 14-month job search that inspired him to pursue a career in sales. “Looking back, I guess you could say it was the frustrating year I spent tirelessly applying to job after job and taking any interview I could get that made me realize what I wanted to do with my life,” the 29-year-old told reporters, describing how the hundreds of résumés he sent out to companies across a variety of industries, most of which he never heard back from, instilled in him a deep desire to become a sales professional the moment he was offered a position in that field. “After scouring online postings for hours each day, nearly giving up on finding any job at all, and then coming across an opportunity to get into sales, I knew deep down it was the path I wanted to take. And here I am.” Swenson added that when he meets recent college graduates, he assures them that once their morale hits a low point and they’re willing to grab hold of anything that comes their way, they too will discover their passion in life.

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