Man Argues The Job Market Is 'Impossible' — He's Still Unemployed After Applying To Over 1,400 Postings
He's far from alone in his struggles.
BartekSzewczyk / CanvaPro Today’s job market can be more than discouraging and some find navigating it to be utterly “impossible.”
Case in point: Ohm Patel, who took to TikTok to share his own personal struggles attempting to find a job with a search that’s wracked up over 1,400 unsuccessful job applications.
The man admits to applying to over 1,400 job postings and still having no luck finding a job in our ‘impossible’ job market.
“Fourteen hundred is the number of jobs that I’ve applied to,” Patel admitted. “When I tell people this number, they can genuinely not believe it.”
Patel certainly isn't alone in his struggle. According to a recent poll from job search giant, Monster, an estimated 96% of workers were looking for a new job in 2023. In addition to the already bleak job prospects, that statistic floods the market with applicants outside of those already unemployed and recently laid off.
For many, changing the success of their job search could be a simple fix. Career coaches suggest changing your resume, applying on different job sites, and switching references to see if you can land an interview.
However, Patel admitted he’s done all of that with no success.
Despite following expert tips, Patel argued his experience has everything to do with the market and nothing to do with his resume.
“Do you not think I’ve tried everything in the book?” he admitted in the face of criticism.
Photo: cnythzl / Canva Pro
Coming up on over eight months of job searching, Patel said he was met with tons of tips that downplayed his dedication to finding a job. They were “recommending some [expletive] book or a seminar to watch about job applying.”
“It’s insane,” he admitted. “The job market is impossible."
While a great deal of job search struggles are due to oversaturation in the market, some lucky applicants point to a few key changes they made that helped them get their foot in the door.
Some experts agree with them, like Cathy Lanzalaco, CEO of Inspire Careers, who explained to Forbes that many applicants are unsuccessful due to a “lack of clarity.”
She wrote, “Spend some time creating a clear vision of the kind of job you are looking for, the industry you want to work in, and the skills and experience you offer and want to gain.” Not only can this help you in potential interviews, but Lanzalaco explained, that it can help you to connect and cultivate relationships and help you network yourself into the job of your dreams.
Connections are essential to finding a job in today’s job market.
Despite a vast discourse about “how to apply successfully” to jobs and tips for standing out as a candidate, many career coaches admit finding a job is purely based on connections.
Career coach Em Rez shared her tactics for successful networking on TikTok and urged job seekers to take a "selfless" approach to networking in order to find future opportunities.
“Have your pitch or resume. Understand what you have to offer in terms of skills as a baseline,” she advised. “Identify the top skills you can offer in value to that person based on their background.”
This “selfless networking” helps to create long-lasting, meaningful connections where you’re not only learning from another person’s experience but also putting yourself “in their orbit” when future opportunities come available.
In the end, a successful job search is more about selling yourself than presenting your resume for review. Sadly, that doesn't make the task any easier, but understanding that "who you know" is more important than "what you know" can at least help manage your expectations and give you a different strategy in the battle for a full-time gig.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.