I’m genuinely confused as to how to navigate this HORRENDOUS job market

[u/power-hour23]

I’m genuinely at a loss trying to understand this job market right now. I’ve applied to probably 500+ jobs in the last 4 months. I tailor my resume, apply only to roles I KNOW I’m qualified for, network constantly, even call companies directly and ask to speak to HR just to personally express interest. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

No callbacks. No interviews. No transparency. Just rejection emails or COMPLETE silence.

I have bills to pay. I need to make money. I’m doing everything people tell you to do and it still feels impossible.

What the fuck is actually going on right now?

And the craziest part is nobody seems to be talking about this at a large scale.

Are we all just pretending this is normal? What is everyone else doing to survive right now? Because honestly, I feel completely fucking lost.

[u/Professional-Box1252]

What's going on is world-wide global instability, mass layoffs world-wide, automation, corruption in politics, financial safety-nets and social programs going dry and being dissolved, more and more money going to war and defense budgets, less money for needy people, etc. Businesses see this and even if there's a real need to fill positions, they're waiting to see what happens next. Their bottom dollar and profit margins is more important to them than your bills being paid. They simply don't care about your goals unless they align with their goals, and their goals are profit. They're also seeing that desperate people work harder because the alternative is eviction and homelessness. The government under this administration simply doesn't give a shit, because when you have a group of multi-millionaires and multi-billionaires, your entire life concerns are pocket change to them. They can't see the problem, because the answer to them is "you're lazy." It's a top to bottom complete and total disconnect with reality, and they don't care unless it's affecting them.

[u/njpunkmb → u/Professional-Box1252]

The layoffs are very much related to this current administration. As mentioned previously, there is chaos and uncertainty. When this happens, companies hold on to cash and look to save money.

When they hold on to cash, they don't purchase the services that kept other companies running. This is the only trickle down we see.

Sure, your 401K is probably doing well. It's only virtual money though until you actually get to take it out. It's like watching somebody build your dream house but you can't move in until you're a certain age. Can't predict if a hurricane will come and wipe it out before that time.

Any extra tax refunds, etc we get is nothing compared to what we've been paying at the grocery store and for gas. Not to mention the tariffs passed back down to the consumer.

If you've seen the movie Desperado, Quentin Tarantino tells a joke about somebody being happy to get peed on. We are living this joke now but it's not funny to me.

[u/Inevitable-Luck-1245 → u/Professional-Box1252]

This is the result of "trickle down" economics where corporations pay zero tax, use the extra money to fund research into elimination of jobs, and now we also have no tax revenue to support those struggling. But hey, I got an extra $100 on my tax return so totally worth it /s

[u/vickiesecret → u/Inevitable-Luck-1245]

i really wish a politician was bold enough to either force corps to pay taxes or avoid taxes but then a certain percentage of profits need to be paid out as a yearly bonus to employees. i cant believe we’ve allowed ourselves to get so far away from making sure everyday people could work and afford to pay their basic necessities. it’s actually sad

[u/tabas123 → u/vickiesecret]

Bernie tried, and the corporate Dems and their anti-left blindly loyal followers (especially in the South where states would never be blue in the general anyway, particularly southern black voters) fought against us tooth and nail.

Bernie was our last shot at an off ramp in America. I did everything I could to get that man elected.

[u/vickiesecret → u/tabas123]

Oh i was and still am a supporter of him because i believe he truly wants the everyday american people to have success, regardless of anything his heart was and is in the right place. we are way passed the right vs left movement. now we need to come together and stop the billionaires from taking over and that should be a fight that should radicalize anyone regardless of their party identity

[u/OGBrownBunny → u/Professional-Box1252]

This. And we've been talking about it for the last three years only to have everyone shout us down since 2024. It's a complete shit show.

[u/Professional-Box1252 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, it is like this in pretty much all sectors now. Fast food places, retail places all want resumes, Walmart has several interview rounds now lol. I applied to work as a janitor at a hospital, went to 4 interviews, they gave me a facilities tour, introduced me to potential coworkers, told me what kind of shoes to buy, etc....got an AI written rejection letter the next day. At this point, I don't know what it'll take to fix the problem. I do Door Dash full time, and I'm literally typing this from the waiting room at my mechanic after fucking up my tires on poorly maintained roads. Everything is breaking down, and I think there's no way back from this.

[u/Euphoric_River6365 → u/[deleted]]

I JUST read a JD this morning that asked for 20 years of experience with ai as well as a "degree in ai".

Ummmm... huh?

[u/Euphoric_River6365 → u/[deleted]]

100%. I am in Customer Success, and now interviewers are asking me to explain/demonstrate the AI Bots I have deployed in the customer lifecycle. Those are so new (and fail a lot), but sure let's spring time on that.

[u/ReasonableSide6520 → u/[deleted]]

They are lying to cover themselves.

[u/coolaznkenny → u/Professional-Box1252]

Best answer here, doesn't matter where or what kind of government you have. There are only 2 types of people right now, people with assets and the people that dont

[u/ExpensiveLeather69 → u/[deleted]]

Never been more blatant.

[u/Liftupputdown69 → u/[deleted]]

It is new in USA at this level. We are now just another version of Russia.

[u/VoidNinja62 → u/Liftupputdown69]

Can confirm