Job Hunting Sucks
It’s been two months since my previous work contract expired. The place I spent the previous year at had a shortfall, leading to me being let go. While becoming a NEET again came with small perks, like not taking hour-long drives in the snow, there are a whole host of problems, even if I live with my family. Without a salary, I can’t afford a car (which is king in Canada) or rent, so I have a lot of incentive to find work. The problem is, well…
The job market and the job application process are pretty freaking terrible.
Now this isn’t my first rodeo looking for work. I used to cram applications after my homework and used up a reading week for interviews. The market at the time (2021-23) wasn’t too bad for technology with plenty of co-op options available.
And then came the layoffs. And soon after, the economy cooled down… right as I and thousands of others graduated and entered an absolute shambolic market.
And it still sucks big-time. Not just in terms of how few jobs there are and how competitive the market is, but how the whole job application process is just one big joke. For starters, there are jobs posted on the internet that we can call “ghost jobs”. These postings do not map to a real vacancy in a company, and instead serve different motives, such as…
- Giving a firm’s employees the sense that help is on the way (which, wow, that’s kind of messed up)
- Giving the false signal to the shareholders that the firm is hiring and expanding
- Taking your data for the lols
And these ghost jobs are omnipresent: LinkedIn, Indeed, even the government’s own job bank!
Then there’s the whole process of submitting applications. You’d think with all this AI and fancy ATS stuff they can parse resumes easily. But no, you send your resume to a place like Workday (the BANE of my existence), recheck that your resume was correctly parsed, fill out a questionnaire, and submit the damn thing.
Then… in two weeks, maybe more, you may get an email, reading along the lines of “Hey, thanks for applying. Now get lost.”
And of course, there is no learning process. It’s all luck, RNG even. I had paid a recruiter back in 2024 to help out with my resume and even that didn’t go anywhere.
The source of frustration really just comes down to having zero control on the outcome. It’s not like if I, say, eat 500 calories less than my body needs daily, I will lose half a pound a week. I can make the most polished, pristine, robot- and recruiter-friendly resume there is…
…and there is no idea to tell if it would really yield an interview.
sigh
But at the end of the day… I only have myself to improve on. I did mess up big-time while I was employed, as I didn’t reach out to my “professional network” often, so I haven’t kept tabs with former co-workers in a while. Consequently, I’m apprehensive about reaching out to them as I think their perspective is “Hey, this guy I haven’t heard from in ages wants a referral!” With all this talk about networking being the best way to get a job, I really need to work on my social skills on top of just… not giving up.
Because at the very, very least, not giving up could lead somewhere, even with a tiny % chance.
That’s pretty much the end of my rant. As frustrated as I am with my job search, I try my best to be optimistic. I’ve had my moments of hopelessness. They do suck, but eventually I pick myself up and try again.
If you’re struggling with job searching too, I fully sympathize with any frustrations you feel. I wish you, dear reader, the best of luck with your job search.
PS: If you are already employed… it doesn’t hurt to put out feelers in the market. It may be unattractive if you’re happy with your current job or just tired after work… but hey, take it from me, it’s less stressful than searching without a job!
Extra Stuff
One of favourite sources of motivation… by Randy Savage of all people.