According to the U.S. Labor Department, 253,000 jobs were added to the economy in April. But for some, the search for employment is still fraught with difficulties.
In a now-viral TikTok with over 120,000 views, user @directionally_yours expressed frustration over her job hunt that has so far been unsuccessful.
“I have applied to 503 jobs since I got laid off at the end of November,” she said.
@directionally_yours 1. My mustache is flawless. 2. No, the answer is not move to Texas (I see you TD) 3. I like that when you go to put in captions it suggests that you talk clearly to improve accuracy, like my weird accent can just be fixed. 🤷🏼♀️ #jobhunting #jobhuntingbelike #corporate #humanresources #mastersdegree #millenialsoftiktok ♬ original sound – directionallyyours
While cuddling her childhood teddy bear for emotional support, the TikToker detailed all that she has done to try to secure a job—but to no avail. In one instance, she said she went through five interview rounds with a company, but was ultimately rejected. On another occasion, she went through four interview rounds and still had no luck. The content creator also said that she has talked with a number of recruiters, many of whom never called her back after their initial conversations.
“I think I’m done,” she said. “I don’t really know what else to do.”
@directionally_yours told viewers that she took a part-time job in the meantime, but that it will not cover all of her expenses.
“They don’t have a lot of hours to give me,” she said. “So between that and my other job, I won’t even be coming close to affording our bills.”
What makes her job search all the more challenging, is that @directionally_yours believed that she took all the right steps to secure a job: She obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degree, but still said that wasn’t enough.
“Anything that I get is offering pennies on the dollar,” she lamented. “I’m truly at a loss.”
But @directionally_yours wasn’t alone. In fact, many commenters said that they could relate to her struggles.
“I was offered ten dollars and fifty cents an hour with a masters,” one user commented.
“5 rounds of interviews to just be turned down should be illegal,” another wrote.
Others, meanwhile, offered words of support and advice.
“Go to a temp agency!” one viewer recommended. “I’m making 27/30$ a hour. … I’m telling you applying directly to jobs never works.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @directionally_yours via TikTok comment.
