No matter what the current unemployment rate is, one thing never seems to change: Looking for a job sucks.
One woman took to TikTok to express her frustration and concerns and to bemoan her bank account, which she says is now at a terrifying – $4.41 balance after incurring a monthly service fee.
Despite lining up another job before leaving her last position, biologist Geena V. Ildefonso has found herself looking for a new job. On Thursday, she posted a video to her TikTok account (@geenaildefonso) to describe her worries. The video has nearly 1 million views and counting as of the publication of this story.
“I’m 30 years old; I am unemployed. I’ve been unemployed for four months. I applied to over 150 jobs,” she tells viewers. “I feel very lost.”
Ildefonso confesses that her relentless job search is taking a toll on her. “This feeling of being unemployed, and applying to jobs, and [retailoring] your resume, getting rejected, and then seeing the job reposted literally two weeks later is demoralizing.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current unemployment rate in the United States is only 3.7 percent.
Still, job hunting seems harder than ever.
An article published in June of 2023 by Time magazine found that the “amount of time it takes to hire a new employee reached an all-time high of 44 days in early 2023, according to a report released this month by the Josh Bersin Company and AMS, a workforce solutions firm.”
In addition, many industries, including tech, have faced massive layoffs in the last few months. Companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Twitch, Citigroup, and Macy’s all had major workforce reductions in 2023, according to Mondo.com.
“I left my last job because it was destroying my mental and physical health,” Ildefonso states in the video. Ildefonso says she had lined up a new job where she would “make the most money I’ve ever made in my life” but was laid off from the position four days before she started due to “company reorganization.”
@geenaildefonso I just want to take a minute and be vulnerable with my life. I’m tired. For anyone else who is currently unemployed or has been in the past, I’d love to hear your experience. I also completely forgot to mention my student loans 🥹 #unemployed #laidoff #jobsearch #career #lifegoals #corporatelife #linkedin #millennial #genz ♬ original sound – Geena 💛🌻
Ildefonso says she is now living in an apartment that she and her husband moved into after relocating for the job she was promised. She says they cannot afford to live there anymore and adds that she now has a balance of -$4.41 in her savings account after being charged a monthly service fee.
She says in the video’s caption, “For anyone else who is currently unemployed or has been in the past, I’d love to hear your experience. I also completely forgot to mention my student loans.”
“Life is LIFING for a lot of ppl,” one viewer wrote in the video’s comments section.
“I just said a prayer for you love … just believe that its coming and have faith,” wrote Candace (@yesicancan).
Many viewers offered tales of their own frustrating job searches.
Kionte (@kibaby1011) wrote, “29 was just unemployed for 3 months and behind on everything but just started a new job this week. Praying yours will come.”
Another viewer commented, “27, 6 months unemployed, rejection emails daily. I’m tired.”
Another added, “39, got fired from my job of 12yrs. Single mom, no one is calling me back after the 1st interview. It’s hard.”
One viewer added hopefully, “I was like this until age 38. 20 years later I’m getting ready to retire early. It can seem hopeless but things can and will change. Hang in there!”
According to a report by Randstad RiseSmart, it is likely that the current layoff trend will continue this year. Per the report, “96% of organizations have taken some kind of downsizing action over the last 12 months, and 92% anticipate taking further action in the next 12 months..”
In an email to the Daily Dot, Ildefonso wrote, “I decided to make this video and share it openly about where I was in life.”
“The responses I received on my video were heavily divided,” she continued. “There was a lot of support but also a lot of hate for the choices I made to leave my previous job. A lot of people left their opinions on my situation, and in reality they don’t know what I have been through to get to where I am today, or why I made the choices that I made for myself and my family. The responses from the video I think shed a lot of light on the reality of the job market today and on how people perceive other people’s lives.”
More evidence that the toughest job is looking for a job: This woman is practically bankrupt after being laid off before her start date.