There is a moment in every job search when exhaustion sets in. You open another job board, refresh another page, and send another application that will probably never be seen. You tell yourself that today might be different. It won’t be.
People are not just unemployed. They are drained. They are rewriting résumés, optimizing LinkedIn profiles, attending networking events, tweaking cover letters, and sending out applications in the hundreds, only to receive automated rejections or, worse, complete silence.
The process has become a test of endurance. It rewards those who can tolerate frustration, rejection, and uncertainty the longest. It forces people to prove their worth over and over again, while offering nothing in return. It is not just broken. It is inhumane.
A System That Creates More Job Seekers Than Employees
A job search is supposed to be a step forward. For most, it feels like standing still. Months pass. Applications disappear. The world moves forward while they are stuck in the same loop.
The problem is not a lack of jobs. The problem is how hiring works. A role opens, applications flood in, and hiring managers skim through the first batch. By the time most people apply, the decision is already made. The job search process moves slowly, but hiring moves fast.
And so people search harder. They apply to roles they do not want, accept interviews they are not excited about, and settle for jobs that do not match their skills. Not because they lack ambition, but because they are tired of waiting.
A Generation on the Edge
A job used to mean stability. Now it means uncertainty. People graduate into an economy that tells them to be grateful for any job they can get. They are overqualified for entry-level work but not experienced enough for higher roles. They are told to negotiate but also to take what they can get. They are asked to do unpaid assessments, sit through multiple interview rounds, and wait weeks for updates, only to be ghosted in the end.
The result? People lose confidence. They stop applying to roles that challenge them. They lower their expectations, not because they want to, but because the system forces them to.
A job search should not take months when companies are hiring in days. The strongest candidates apply early and move forward. They do not waste time searching. They spend time getting hired.
The Right Jobs Exist. People Just Aren’t Seeing Them in Time.
Thankfully, some tools can help you find real, fresh job openings before they disappear into the flood of applicants, some of which will be explored in future articles. When it comes to finding a job in today’s market, it takes more than just hard work.
A generation has been told to accept that job searching is supposed to be this hard. Maybe it doesn’t have to be.