A TikToker’s frustrations over not being able to even get an interview for a job have reignited conversations about the mysteries of the hiring process and how much prospective employers expect of people.
@kayleyalissa explained that she was laid off as part of a downsizing effort at her previous company back in May. She took one week off to “be sad about my life” before starting a new job search in earnest.
Over the course of eight weeks, she says she applied for a whopping 76 jobs.
“For local work, remote work, a lot of marketing, digital, social — where my strengths lie. Where I know I’m very good at my job,” she said.
But out of 76 applications, Kayley received exactly zero interviews.
“Y’all cannot tell me that companies are struggling, that they don’t have any workers, when you’re not hiring anyone. I don’t know what to do at this point,” she said. “It’s all a scam.”
Kayley is far from the only job seeker struggling right now, and as her video gained traction, people were ready to commiserate.
“Everywhere is ‘hiring’ and is all ‘help wanted’ BUT NO ONE IS ACTUALLY HIRING,” wrote @coincidentalcassidy.
“Same. I’ve been out of work for almost a year,” @frothybeanwater said. “I’ve applied to 3 jobs daily since.”
“I was laid off in July 2021… I applied to 300+ jobs had 8 or so interviews kept being the 2nd or 3rd choice… took me 6 months to get a job,” added @lurrrahmarie.
Fortunately for Kayley, her video went viral enough that she had people jumping in to help her, including updating her resume, which immediately brought her several interview requests.
“Your first resume was beautiful. Unfortunately the corporate world wants tapioca pudding,” @daizyville commented on the update.
There has frequently been scrutiny surrounding the mysterious ways that various companies go about hiring workers, whether they insist on cover letters, use algorithms to scan resumes for keywords and chuck the rest, or simply rely on recruiters to find people on LinkedIn.
It’s nearly impossible to keep up or guess what might snag the job, even for highly qualified people, but in Kayley’s case, at least she’s finally getting some interviews. And yes, she is keeping her helpful viewers updated along the way.
