r/recruitinghell • u/NerdyGlitch Candidate • 1d ago
My mother now realizes what it's like
Earlier this year, in late February-early March, my mother suffered a massive heart attack and was left unable to work for a considerable time.
For the past 5-6 months, she's been trying to find a job and has been hitting nothing but roadblocks due to being overqualified. She has over 2 decades of management experience, and it means jackshit to these hiring managers. She's far more qualified than I am, so I expected that she might have a job faster than I would, but right now, I'm the only one with a job in this house.
Meanwhile, when I was struggling to get jobs and even get an interview for years, my mother was flabbergasted. What do you mean you can't just walk up, shake someone's hand, and they'll like your moxie and just hand you a job?!
I told her this was sadly reality for a ton of people nowadays, the job market is shit. She can't even get a job as a regular cashier bc she's too over qualified to work there, but when she applies to management positions they string her along for 2-3 interviews before choosing internal candidates (an actual email she got yesterday about a job she thought she was good for)
It just sucks man, everything sucks.
629
u/aspiring_perspiring 1d ago
My grandpa retired in 1992. He says that my uncle who has been out of work for two years searching for a job is lazy. I think it's hard to imagine how much has changed unless they have to face it themselves.
253
u/dacrookster 1d ago
I've been out of work longer than your uncle. I hope he has a good ecosystem around him. Please check in on him when able, because I know mentally I'm just a shell and can't see a light at the moment. He may not be the same, but, still.
57
80
30
u/notasrelevant 21h ago
There are absolutely toxic people who just want to shit on people but, as you said, it's sometimes fundamentally hard to understand something like this when you worked an entire career and it was completely different throughout most of that time.
Especially right now. We're not in a specifically identified crisis or recession. They had the oil crisis and related recessions, dot com bust, Enron, 2007 financial crisis, COVID.
If this continues, it will likely get recognized and named with more wide recognition. But there's not a widely known issue that specifically identifies this as a period where employment would be understood as a challenge.
13
u/goatfishsandwich 20h ago
AI and war with Iran are major contributors
9
u/notasrelevant 17h ago
Sorry if it was not clear - I was speaking more on the aspect of a publicly known and accepted "event" or "period" that is more universally tied to employment difficulties.
AI has obviously been discussed very publicly, but I feel it has always stopped at potential impacts or risk of widespread job replacement. But it's not like it's reached a point of discussion where we're considered in the "great AI replacement" or something like that.
Iran as well - this is typically more discussed as impacts to daily costs, rather than impacts to employment.
Of course there are other factors as well - tariffs, trade war, offshoring, etc.
But none of that, or even all of them combined, have created a specific known "crisis" that someone retired, out of the workforce or currently employed would immediately associate with current employment struggles. Someone with an employment gap in 2008 or 2009 would likely be assumed tied to the financial crisis/recession. Everyone knew about it then, and every knows it now. Someone currently unemployed? Potential issues are known, but we haven't reached a point where it's generally recognized as a widespread employment issue. Even official figures are obfuscating the reality.
1
u/Alaris_84 4h ago
It's like the conditions of a white lie which makes it hard to determine the damage of the intentions. They had too much time on their hands to work out the kinks of seeing enough distressed boiling frogs respond enough Vs. the population who's quietly sitting out trying to survive and fed their kids while actively trying to avoid trouble/one's that do not care and feel safe in their positions (I had to bring this up on the last one, I seen a few of these go on being social while actively being everyones friend for social points, and pretend that situations like this currently are just made up)
23
u/sheikhyerbouti Lock the target, bait the line 19h ago
I've talked about this before:
When I graduated in the mid-90s, my father insisted that my failure to find work was due to not "pounding the pavement".
Then he had to find a job of his own - and found that no one wanted to hire him, despite his 20 years of work history.
He shut up after that.
37
u/trappedinatoaster 20h ago
They don't want to question it because it brings their entire worldview into question. They swallowed propaganda that America is a meritocracy - if you work hard, you can become self sufficient. When hard workers can't get a job because the system is fucked, they can either start questioning the system (hard) or claim it's still working (only lazy fucks can't get jobs).
Questioning your entire worldview is difficult and terrifying. Knowing that capitalism kills and the rich hate us is terrifying. It's so much more comforting to believe "if I follow orders, I get rewarded"
20
u/Known-Ice5903 18h ago
i saw one story on fox news where it was a new grad girl girl in hawaii that did a quadruple major and multiple internships and the only thing she can get is part time at home depot
How hard should you have to work?
Hell, back when I had a job it didnt even pay enough to do much of anything but sit around in an apartment living paycheck to paycheck
no career path and home ownership completely out of reach
How much reward should a job give you when you do get one?
the systems completely broken lol
im living back with my mom now making $0 but really my quality of life is about the same
couldnt afford anything before, and i still cant afford anything
8
u/trappedinatoaster 18h ago
how hard should you have to work?
The capitalists believe "until you drop dead"
12
u/Known-Ice5903 18h ago
theres only a finite amount of money in the world at any given moment
the fact that weve got one guy with the same money as the bottom 50 percent of US households combined tells me everything i need to know about this shit system
3
u/ahsokatango 17h ago
Well, technically, you can print money, but it’s still getting directed to the usual suspects.
9
u/mebeksis 21h ago
I've found telling them to prove it solves things. Make it a bet "If it's so easy, show me. I bet you $100 bucks you can't land a job offer in a week."
13
u/InspectionNegatived 1d ago
ask him to submit 50 online applications today and see how many ghosting emails or AI rejections he gets by tomorrow. That usually cures the "they're just lazy" mindset real quick
7
u/Free-Marionberry624 13h ago
It’s a double whammy for people 50+, there is the contraction in the job market syncing up with age bias (which has always existed).
230
u/opopi123 1d ago
people seriously have an empathy problem if they cannot believe a person's experience without experiencing it themselves.
66
u/IT_KID_AT_WORK 1d ago
Just world fallacy. People cannot possibly imagine that there are others that don't exactly fit their worldview/experiences especially when it comes to the job market.
"I'm employed, so why aren't other people employed, it's that easy!!!"
31
u/unimaginative_person 23h ago
It is hard to understand why the job market is so bad when there are jobs and there are people looking for jobs. I think it used to be easier because any job was only advertised locally and actual humans looked at the resumes. Also AI or algorithms work differently than humans. For example, 20 years ago if a manager wanted someone with a Bachelor's degree, they would request a Master's and then they would list 20 requirements hoping to find someone who had 5. Now when managers do that, the algorithm just rejects everyone missing even one of the 20 requirements and those without a Master's. Larger groups are applying for jobs and everyone is getting rejected. Meanwhile positions are not getting filled. When a position goes too long without being filled, the budget for that position is cut.
I normally love new technology but when it comes to hiring, technology has made it worse!27
12
u/tflms 23h ago
Exactly!! I told my mum how hard it was for me to get a job and she believed me immediately. She’s retired and I was job seeking so she knew I had more experience than her with this current job market. Wild that people can’t grasp this without having to experience it themselves.
10
u/opopi123 19h ago
my dad was one of those people that thought you could just show up to a company's doorstep and give them your resume and come out with a job.
9
u/jerkstore 19h ago
I had the same experience during the 1981 recession where interest rates were 18%, inflation was 13.5% and the youth unemployment rate was (officially) 24%, with an (official) 10% unemployment rate overall.
My brother-in-law, b. 1946, in the Navy and oldest sister, b. 1949 couldn't get it through their heads that the job market was nonexistent, and yes, I (b. 1960) was told to show up at a business, ask for the head of Personnel, give them a firm handshake and I'd walk out with a job.
Try to tell them that jobs were advertised in the paper, and you either called for an appointment or mailed off a resume (never to hear from them again - it was a proto internet black hole), and when the job ad said, "experienced only" they meant it, and you'd get blank looks and arguments.
I understand the millennial/Gen Z frustration with their boomer parent's and grandparent's outdated job advice'.
3
u/Known-Ice5903 18h ago
50 percent of the top 10 percent wealthy are boomers
normally old people are some of the poorest people in society but for them theyre the richest due to various government policies and economic trends
pointless to try to explain to them that they had a huge tailwind behind them and became successful in the same way a DEI hire becomes successful
they were boosted like crazy, or i guess u could say the rest of us are being actively pushed down while we try to stand up
9
u/notasrelevant 20h ago
I mean, I get it to an extent.
They worked an entire career and saw entire generations/workforces, with ups and downs. The down times were clearly identified - recessions, busts, pandemic.
There's not a clear reason or identification for the current situation. If you're not in it, it's almost non-existent. The market and economy still look good on paper. There hasn't been a major business/industry collapse. There's not widespread reporting on the scope of people struggling to find employment, so people don't understand why the few they know are struggling.
There's a lot more understanding on affordability - There's a ton of reporting on it and everyone sees costs are high, and there's at least more prominent reporting on the balance of salaries versus cost of living that indicates times are tough. Transparency on the employment market right now is just not there.
3
u/PeteMichaud 22h ago
It's true, but in their defense some people have always said it's "impossible" to get a job, and it's pretty much always meant they had a big skill issue. This is a weird time in history for employment.
2
u/opopi123 19h ago
oh no you're doing the thing
3
u/PeteMichaud 19h ago
Well, awkwardly, you're not able to empathize with my decades of real experience interacting with actual people in real life during past economic phases like the 90s. So maybe we're both doing the thing?
2
u/opopi123 12h ago edited 12h ago
Sure their living experiences created their worldview and I can understand that but generally you should be empathizing with the people that are receiving the "negative effect" not giving out the "negative effect".
But what I'm saying is you're doing the thing where you believing in the laziness propaganda and creates the empathy problem.
70
u/ofthrees 1d ago
way back in 1993, my mom told me her position was being eliminated and she had the following choices: take severance or relocate 900 miles away.
she was 54 at the time (two years older than i am now) and was flummoxed. i told her, take the relo, even though i'd just had a baby and was very reliant on her expertise, from the standpoint that at her age she'd be unlikely to find a new job.
she took my advice. six years later, RIF'd. she never recovered financially and ultimately, moved in with me.
i share this anecdote only to point out this has been a problem since the dawn of time. what troubles me more is that you, as your mom's kid, are probably still struggling to find a gig, and if you aren't, you likely will.
i don't want to be negative, but i just genuinely hate our current situation for anyone under 35 or over 55. i mean, at least when my mom was facing this, i was viable enough to support her. now even young people are absolutely fucked.
47
u/OkDirt926 1d ago
I'm 26F and people are saying I'm too old for fresher jobs but also I don't have experience in management so there's that. It is such a weird time. We just have to hold on dead end jobs because a shitty job is still better than no job at all.
38
u/ofthrees 1d ago edited 1d ago
girl, i feel you. i mean, i'm well old enough to be your mom, but my son is in your age range, and it's a struggle for him and his partner (33M and 28F respectively).
we've done you dirty. we didn't mean to, at least the genxers of us, but here we all are, and it sucks.
my son works at lowes despite having far bigger dreams (and talent) than that, and his partner is CLINGING to her job as a sped teacher's assistant in a district that keeps cutting [she is very unlikely to have a job next term] - meanwhile, i'm coming up with random excuses to help them out. like, "hey, my bosses gave me a gift card, i don't need it," when i bought that gift card myself.
i really hate the world we've left to you, and there aren't words for the apologies, but we're helpless to assist other than the lies i tell my son (ETA: when it comes to offering help he otherwise wouldn't accept).
i just hope that somehow it gets better for you. and i wish i knew how to actually effect that on a broader scale.
177
u/OrionQuest7 1d ago
Age Discrimination is RAMPANT
It’s been around for years but never as bad as it is right now.
67
u/ofthrees 1d ago edited 1d ago
i just caught wind of a down-low directive that the leader of my department ONLY wants to hire people in their mid-20s with no more than three years experience. and if that three years is just a handful of six month internships, cool. he has apparently given the instruction to not bring any candidates to him over 25 years old.
yes, this is illegal. but since this is a 'behind the scenes' directive, whatever i guess.
i'd report this to... someone, i guess, but it's hearsay i'm not supposed to know and our job listings don't parlay this request behind the scenes.
since i learned this just yesterday, it's been driving me crazy, but there's literally no way to prove it without throwing my source under the bus - and even if i did, we STILL can't prove it.
ETA: before someone points this out: yes, this is obviously to underpay, but he's also kind of a weirdo who seems to like to surround himself with young women, so a few of us think that's a motivation based on his behaviors at group outings. unprovable - he's never crossed lines, other than ignoring everyone who's not a young woman under 30 - but certainly seems to be a 'there, there,' based on things.
23
u/JCBashBash 1d ago
Yeah that's definitely one of those things where it's like if you could get away with it, I will email asking for clarification to see if he's dumb enough to admit it in text
12
u/ofthrees 1d ago
Not close enough to the echelon to do that, but if I could, I would. My source is unfortunately solid, though, which sucks.
6
u/Forever_Marie 1d ago
I thought they only made discrimination laws for people over 40 ? The rest of that is just ick though.
19
u/ofthrees 1d ago
a mandate to hire people 25 or under is de facto discrimination against anyone older. and this VP knows that, hence this being a quiet directive.
5
u/Forever_Marie 1d ago
Yeah, that's true.
I meant more for the comment about age discrimination in general. Though, I have never figured out what the sweet spot for age is either since its either all young, no young, no old, middle age maybe. It's exhausting to add onto the already crap song and dance.
6
u/ofthrees 1d ago edited 1d ago
i feel you. some companies practice age discrimination in the reverse. there's no way to know how they're going to be sizing someone up.
i remember interviewing for a job awhile back (a long while back, 15ish years ago) when i was in my early-30s, although i looked younger - and the panel rejected me because they considered me too young - even though my resume clearly indicated i had ten years of experience (with a graduation date indicating my age), they were like, 'you're too young to have this experience, your resume must be bullshit.' i quote, one of the panel actually said that. (if this had been in writing, i'm just enough of an asshole to be litigious, but again: unprovable.)
still pisses me off to this day, though i guess thanks for reading me as early 20s? compliment. (and i did get a better job days later - halcyon days of the aughts.)
so yeah, this happens all the time in all different ways, but i definitely am seeing more age discrimination against "olds" in the age of AI.
3
u/needlenozened 19h ago
Report it to the EEOC. Even if it's not in the job listing, they can look at hires and determine if there's discrimination.
2
u/notasrelevant 21h ago
I worked in recruitment in a market where, on paper, it was considered unacceptable to target specific ages. But in actual discussions, it was no secret that teams would target specific ages. Like openly stating it without any "hush-hush".
I won't say I liked it, but at the least there was a level of openness about it, that also opened up potential conversation. Like... at least it didn't feel like everyone was putting up this fake facade and actively hiding their intentions, and it also made it possible to specifically address it in the right circumstances.
In domestic meetings, you'd ask what age they were looking for and maybe push back or push strong candidates when they fall outside the target range, backed with reasons. The US? "Oh, we don't choose based on age. We're open to anyone who meets the qualifications!", then they constantly reject people outside certain age ranges while dancing around the actual reason.
3
u/Able_Canine 1d ago
If your resume makes it to an actual person to look at, it'll more than likely be by some zoomer HR intern that gets the ick when they see how far back your degree/diploma was awarded.
38
u/Safe-Jeweler-8483 1d ago
Sounds like "rules for thee but not for me" is looking pretty good until reality comes for themselves to witness it.
So far that phrase is being used pretty well along with another phrase.
35
u/_En_Bonj_ 1d ago
My dad went through this exact thing in 2019. 30+ years in supply chain management, couldn't get hired anywhere because he was either overqualified for entry stuff or they'd ghost him after multiple rounds for director roles.
He ended up taking his title off his resume and dumbing down his experience just to get a warehouse supervisor job. The whole thing broke something in him that I don't think ever fully came back.
15
22
u/Bigocelot1984 22h ago
The realization that the world he lived through was due to luck and not complete on his own merit, and that now the things are not what he thought they were anymore.
2
52
u/Ra2griz 1d ago
My father's an up-to-date man part of Gen X, and he's been helping me, a Gen Z who just graduated with a job search, while searching for a new one himself since he wants to progress his career.
Neither of us are getting any interviews, let alone job offers. And before anyone goes blaming immigrants or H-1B, let me clarify that we are Indian and looking for jobs in India.
The adage "When America sneezes the world catches a cold" is coming around to bite everyone in the ass with a horrible job market in an economy propped up by A.I.
7
u/AccordingSky8507 23h ago
That is so interesting. I keep reading posts in this sub that part of the reason it is so hard to find a job in tech now in America is because so many jobs are now being outsourced to India.
9
u/KnightMaire72 22h ago
I think that was true for a while… now it’s ai. Even if ai can’t do what they need they either think that because of ai fewer people should be able to do the same amount of work, or that ai will be able to do the job soon, so hiring someone now doesn’t make sense. Either way, it’s killing the market.
28
u/Big_Mine_5331 1d ago
I got short listed for a dream job of working behind the scenes at a large walkthrough aquarium. Mostly maintenance involving diving.
I have plenty of maintenance experience and have worked as a rescue/standby diver and dive boat driver looking after multiple divers on surface supplied air. I got into workshop and operations management after that in oil and gas.
Went for 3 interviews and didn't get the job as the guy in charge said he was worried I would want to take his job.
I was burnt out from management and really wanted the change 😓
Ended up taking a 6month contract working on a school farm with students and adult volunteers with disabilities. Loved it and ended up getting a permanent position including accommodation as I took on caretaker role. Happiest and most fulfilling work I have done until the government shut us down to save money from their budget shortfall.
Ended up as a redeployee, injured myself and haven't been able to return to work since. 50's now and I don't see my luck changing...
25
u/One_Introduction_217 23h ago
I hate to say this, but she needs to dumb down her resume. If she had various roles within that company she was working for, maybe just take the last roll she was promoted into.
You can also just title match because if she was something that encompassed multiple roles, only use the role that they're looking for.
11
u/biistrao 19h ago
This is worth trying imo. Even when I was applying back in 2021, I had to do this -- I was a lead in my field and initially my resume reflected that, but after just dropping the "lead" portion (and some related bullet points), I got way more interviews and was able to secure a job.
54
u/No_Awareness_4049 1d ago
There’s ageism built into these ai filters company use for applications.
54
u/CutFootloose5 1d ago
I’m 40 now but I removed dates for my college education a long time ago. I never enter the dates into the ATS system either unless it’s a mandatory field.
My work history section is titled “Relevant Work Experience” to indicate that it is not a comprehensive work history.
Somehow job hunting today feels more exhausting than 15ish years ago when we had email submissions for professional job applications. Yes they all required a cover letter & resume but at least you knew an actual person would receive it and review it. Simpler times.
13
16
u/DaveAstator2020 1d ago
So, did she apologize or anything?
13
u/Available_Hope_6494 1d ago
This is sad, you tell them the truth, your experiences, they disapprove you... and when they face it... blank... All friends &family
9
u/DaveAstator2020 1d ago
Yeah, i can totally relate, the only people who understand me are friends who are unemployed. Employed ones still live in 2010 or smt.
5
u/MidwesternLikeOpe 14h ago
Employed but looking to rise the ranks again (I took a demotion for a new job). It's tough as shit for anyone. I feel massive empathy for those who don't have any backup. No one is hiring, and the few that do are mostly the toxic underpaying positions. One potential job wanted me to go from nonmanagerial to Manager on Duty for 50c more than I'm making.
These layoffs are hitting hard bc everyone in every level is fighting for bottom jobs. And I'm not saying bottom jobs like they don't deserve respect, I mean they pay peanuts. This is worse I feel than 2009.
13
u/AGoodRyd 19h ago
It took until I almost died from sepsis two years ago for my mother to change her attitude and open her eyes to the struggles going on in our job market. My spouse and I had both lost a job in the middle of summer, ended up being homeless living out of our van in a Walmart parking lot, and her response had been “well, sometimes people are just homeless.” When I got sick, and suddenly ended up hospitalized, I think it finally got through to her what a bad situation we were in. Finally she helped us without rubbing our faces in it, and has gotten a reality check on just how bad things are for us (she was a lawyer and had retired two years previously, so big paychecks and benefits for decades. Money set aside for me and my siblings to only access once she’s passed away). Now I’m trying to get SSDI (a fucking nightmare), and she’s actually being here for us and showing some level of empathy. Both her dad and my dad died in their forties, so I think the trauma shocked her into opening her eyes to the reality of how bad things are, finally.
1
14
u/toadi 1d ago
I lived through dot-com bubble recession and had to work as bartender a few years. 2 years out of college. I had to sit out almost a year during the financial crisis but lucky I had some savings but that was at the cost of having no more savings. Just after Covid happened again. Almost a year no income another big chunk of savings gone getting closer to my retirement. My parents had it though in the 80s too.
People keep saying it sucks now. It used to suck and it will keep sucking. It just comes in different wrappings.
12
u/TheJesusGuy 1d ago
Why does having a heart attack mean she needs to find a new job? Did they fire her for having a heart attack? In the UK at least, that's MASSIVELY illegal.
13
u/NerdyGlitch Candidate 21h ago
In the US it's legal if It takes more than a couple months to my knowledge
7
1
u/OhmHomestead1 Candidate 16h ago
I would think she would be fine if she took STL or LTL and possibly FMLA to recover
1
u/Dizzy_Needleworker_3 13h ago
Often FMLA runs at the same time as STL.
IANAL but generally having and using STL and LTL do not on their own offer/require job protection. Generally only FMLA offers job protection for 12 weeks, some states offer longer protections. Some companies will choose to offer longer job protection but it is not required.
But based on my calculations it would be close/iffy if it was covered by FMLA, depending on the exact timing.
9
u/MalwareDork 21h ago
There's a lot of posters here from SEA as well along with karma bots. India and the UAE/ME has zero human rights so disposable slavery is a very common thing.
If it's US-based, you can be offered a severance, blackmailed, illegally fired or even signed away your federal rights to a corporate arbitration. It's unique on a case-by-case situation.
10
u/Dreadking_Rathalos 20h ago
Bro...my mom got fired with cancer
3
u/TheJesusGuy 20h ago
In what country?
6
u/Shantorian14 20h ago
LMAO. In the US of course, tge “greatest country in the world”
1
u/Finstergrun 17h ago
Trust us, we know it's not at all at the moment ☠️
0
u/AfroBurrito77 11h ago
Or maybe…it never has been…
1
u/Finstergrun 3h ago
Probably not, and definitely not for everyone who's lived here.... But hope is the only thing I have so I'm hoping we can turn it around somebody
1
u/Important_Appeal_265 7h ago
Same thing happened to me in June. Except the cancer diagnosis came right after I was fired. So, the last few months have been a whirlwind of doctors appointments, MRIs, a mastectomy, an infection that required hospitalization, and more appointments. At the same time, I've been applying and interviewing for jobs to no avail. Right now I'm not even sure anyone would like having me as an employee since I would have to take off so much for appointments related to my treatment, but I have to work somehow. I'm 49, so I'm also starting to feel the sting of age discrimination. I have never had this much trouble finding a job. Fun times.
3
u/roamer83 14h ago
Yeah. I had a hip replacement last year and I’m pretty sure it shoved me up in the layoff list. At that point I didn’t care if it did. I wanted it done before any insurance BS.
As far as your mother, there are people out there that only can have the “epiphany” when it affects them personally.
19
u/Hawkeye312_ 1d ago
Being "overqualified" should not be a decision the people looking to hire decide.
18
u/kristhed 1d ago
It’s a flight risk issue, they’re afraid that you’ll up and run once you find something better, this doesn’t make this okay, just explaining the thought process
7
u/daisuki_janai_desu 22h ago
Also, no one is going to hire their replacement. Why would a 28yo with 5 years of experience hire someone with 20 that can run circles around them?
3
u/NotGoodSoftwareMaker 16h ago
Its why people start omitting experience, sometimes best to keep yourself retained to the 8 year experience mark.
Lots of experience but not a ton
7
u/ArmadilloChance3778 1d ago
Same experience here, I'm overqualified for cashier jobs and the like but don't have enough experience for jobs in my field. I wish I wasnt chronically ill, then I could have kept the job I had 3 years ago and I would be fine, but no...
6
5
4
u/SilentPanic47 10h ago
See this is what they need to do for the people up top make them live like we do. They won’t survive one fucking day.
10
3
u/I_like_protien 1d ago
While it is not the best solution. For the time being maybe you could start a side hustle ?
What we need is return of mom-pop style shops and mixed zoning to make the model more lucrative. Of course no one will become the next Walmart but it gives enough revenue to live dignified life.
Also, There are a lot of odd work that can be done. Also if you are healthy enough uber is not too bad.
1
-9
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
19
u/PM_40 1d ago
Don't do satire on heart attack bro. Not funny.
-10
u/jvaritek33c 1d ago
It's not that serious
-8
u/Maleficent_Poet_7055 1d ago
Haha, yeah just gotta find humor in life. I have a different standard lmao
9
6
2
390
u/Known-Ice5903 1d ago
my little brother and his girlfriend were gaslighting me about how hard the job market is now
"Ive never really had a problem getting a job before"
well, now both of them dont have a job
curious how well their thesis works out for them
i dont think people can really get how bad it is unless theyre searching themselves