Rebecca Zisser/BI
The struggle to find work is real — and sometimes you need moral support.
Over the past year, I’ve spoken with dozens of fed-up American job seekers. As the number of open roles in the US dwindles from the record-highs reached in 2022, many have told me their searches are stressful, emotionally draining, and isolating.
They’ve also found it difficult to assess the flood of advice they come across, saying the market is shifting so quickly — due to factors that include tariffs and AI — that it’s hard to know which tips will actually pay off. So I invited six of them to join a group chat to share what they’re going through.
Between June and September, they opened up about how their search has affected them emotionally and financially, the strategies they’ve tried, and the obstacles they believe have stood in their way. Here are some of the highlights from our conversations, lightly edited for length and clarity.
Business Insider has heard from hundreds of Americans over the past year who are struggling to find work. Share your story by filling out this quick form and read more on how others are coping:
- A millennial who couldn’t find a job for 4 years revamped his family’s meal planning and childcare to make it work
- I applied to over 500 jobs but couldn’t find a full-time job for 8 months. This networking strategy helped me finally get one.
- A Gen Xer with an MBA and $50K in student debt has been job hunting for nearly 2 years, so she’s pivoting to an industry where hiring is still hot
- A Gen Zer swears by a LinkedIn trick that helped him be among the first to apply for roles. Experts say he’s onto something.
Meet the Participants:
.
Scott Strohmyer, 60, Nebraska — Looking for full-time IT sales jobs since being laid off last year
Hilary Nordland, 53, Minnesota — Looking for full-time healthcare marketing jobs since being laid off in 2023
Chris Patterson, 55, Ohio — Looking for full-time sales jobs since being laid off last year
Brad, 27, Utah — Looking for full-time communications jobs since earning a bachelor’s degree in communications last year. His last name has been excluded because he recently found full-time employment, but is still actively searching for a new role.
Heather Driscoll, 53, Colorado — Looking for full-time healthcare management jobs since being laid off last year
Juan Pelaez, 48, New Jersey — Looking for full-time marketing or project management jobs since being laid off in 2023
Why do you think your job search has been so challenging?
Hilary: It feels like there are so many of us looking for the same roles. And in many cases, the applicants are younger and more excited about marketing: they listen to podcasts, they have every new social media app. And companies are laying off marketers in every industry. The economy feels unstable.
Chris: There’s been a noticeable shift in how companies are hiring — there’s more automation in the process and fewer opportunities to speak directly with decision-makers. It can be difficult to stand out when you’re one of hundreds of applicants being filtered by algorithms rather than people.
Brad: I think my biggest problem could really be boiled down to one thing: that companies are just not being realistic in their expectations. There are a lot of places that require an insane amount of experience. The jobs that I most consistently get interviews for are the ones that I’m arguably overqualified for.
Juan: I think the job market is changing rapidly, and it’s difficult to get a handle on what’s really available. Companies post jobs with the same jargon for all levels of positions, and it looks the same in various industries. So it’s hard to hit that bull’s-eye when job posts look largely the same.
Brad: Oh my gosh, and the number of jobs that I’ve just never heard back from is astoundingly high.
Heather: Ageism and sexism are alive and well. I’ve been through the hiring process to final rounds at least five times, and I’ve never been able to be the final selection. The amount of time, research, enthusiasm, dressing up/hair/makeup just to sit on a Zoom call and get no feedback or rejection is insane.
How has your job search affected your finances?
Hilary: It’s been catastrophic for me. My retirement savings were already minimal, but I had to use them when I ran out of unemployment assistance.
Scott: I burned through my severance in about a year in LA and had to move away to live with family in Omaha.
Heather: I drained my 401(k) for the second time. I’ve borrowed from my mother a couple of times to cover bills, and I’m late on all my bills now.
Chris: I had to work with my mortgage company to get on a 1-year deferment payment program. Without that, we would lose our house. I have also used a company to consolidate our credit debt, and that has worked out great, saving us about $800 a month.
Juan: I’ve borrowed to pay bills, but the sources are running dry, and I’m not sure how much longer I can get creative with our finances. We barely tread water.
Has anything helped you manage stress during your job search?
Chris: A few things that have helped me are sticking to a routine — I treat job searching like a job, with dedicated hours and breaks — and running and exercising. Prayer and faith have also kept me grounded spiritually.
Heather: I haven’t had any breaks from stress. If I block things out of my mind, I can make some space. But the financial downfall is crushing.
Juan: I meditate. I stop and breathe deep if my thoughts get out of hand. But overall, the best thing is to keep doing things that may help me pay bills or get a job, etc.
Brad: I actually just accepted a job! I thought it was gonna be better than it actually was, to the point where, as of day three of training, I’m hunting for jobs at lunch. The good news is that this job at least gets me something consistent and gets me health insurance.
As far as mitigating stress goes, I’ve gotten to the point where I try to be pretty strategic with my job applications. So at one point, I would definitely apply for 20 to 30 jobs per day — now I am trying to apply to 5 to 6.
Scott: Does booze count for stress management? The gym for stress, and beating my bed with a tennis racket.
Brad: I can’t speak for the rest of the group, but I won’t tell.
How much of a pay cut compared to your previous job would you be willing to take for a full-time role?
Chris: In my previous role, I earned approximately $130,000 annually. That said, I’m currently open to opportunities in the $90,000 range — especially if there’s room for growth, strong benefits, and long-term potential.
Hilary: It’s so much about the fit to me. If it’s a role that’s aligned with the things I’m good at and enjoy doing, I’d take a significant pay cut.
On a totally unrelated topic that I think will resonate with some of you, I was interviewing with a great company. I got through all the interview rounds and could tell that they liked me. Today, the recruiter called me to let me know that they went with the other finalist. The feedback was that they all agreed that I’d be a great teammate and so fun to work with, but the other person had just a little more leadership experience.
I was so sure that this was the one. It felt like my fit.
Scott: Been there, done that.
Any updates on your job searches?
Brad: If my job search were a movie title, it would be “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
Hilary: I think mine might be “Failure to Launch.” Do more depressing applications submitted into the void count as an update?
Heather: Still sending AI-customized résumés and cover letters to the void. Very stressed.
Chris: The only update I have is that the company I am working for part-time is looking to post a full-time role next month. I’m excited to see where that goes.
Hilary: Good luck!
Chris: Thanks!
Brad: You got this.
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post I created a group chat for 6 struggling job seekers. They shared how they’re coping in a market that feels broken. appeared first on Business Insider.
