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Unemployed guy has some laughs explaining why finding a job is so frustrating these days

People can relate to the pain.

via Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

A man cries out in rage while working on his laptop.

There’s a strange thing happening in the U.S. economy these days. Unemployment has been at its lowest in decades, and layoffs remain modest. However, people who are looking for work are having a hard time getting hired and it’s frustrating to send resume after resume and never hear anything back. What gives?

Business Insider says that despite a strong economy, employers are cautious about hiring more employees until they’re sure inflation is under control and that the Federal Reserve will eventually lower interest rates.

"It feels like the job market is in a bit of a holding pattern," Daniel Zhao, a lead economist at Glassdoor, recently told Business Insider.

YouTuber Levi Flemming had fun with the frustrations many people experience while job hunting these days in a new video called “The Typical Job Search Experience. Painful.” In the video, Levi has to go through the daunting task of filling out applications on countless websites and then when he finally gets an interview, he has to go through the gauntlet of middle management interviews, only to be rejected.

The typical job search experience. Painful.

Like many job seekers, Levi began his journey on LinkedIn. "We need to make a LinkedIn profile, by the way. It's like Facebook but more professional," he says in the video with nearly 2,000 views. Soon, he was off to the races and mindlessly filled out job applications on Indeed, Workday, Monster, Glassdoor—the list goes on and on.

Why does the auto-populate never work on these sites?

"Got to create my 800th Workday account and I need to upload my resume,” he continued. “Drag and drop successfully uploaded, and the auto-populate didn't do anything, so now we have to … manually enter the dates do you have at least 5 years of experience."

And there are all the strange questions:

Do you have experience with C++?

Have you ever been terminated from a job before?

Have you ever stolen from your employer?

Have you ever committed terrorist acts against the United States?

Finally, Levi lands an interview that quickly turns into what feels like a speaking tour of the entire company.

“Hey, look these guys are actually going to give me an interview. Go through the first interview with the hiring manager," Levi said. "Second interview with the boss's boss. Third interview with the senior boss. Have to do this take-home written assessment that takes me 4 days to do—got myself a fourth interview with the junior director. A fifth interview with the senior director and now we're waiting just waiting, waiting, waiting. Yey look, they finally emailed me back…”

And it’s a rejection letter—time to start all over again.

The video resonated with a lot of folks in the comments.

"Man! This is spot on. So much of my personal data floating around in company website job portals!" Jackbits6377 wrote. "Looking for work right now and the amount of tests I had to do for a f’ing customer support position was ridiculous. I just closed the application, lol," NowayConway added.

"Painful to watch, yet so damn true..." Pastilance wrote.

From Your Site Articles

Identity

Woman's potential boss offers his references during her interview. That's brilliant.

We often forget that the hiring process is a two-way street.

Fauxels/Pexels

Potential employers offering potential employees their professional references should be a regular thing.

Usually when people apply for a new job, they hyperfocus on making sure the potential employer knows they're an ideal candidate. They research the heck out of the company, tailor their resume for the position and practice answering tough interview questions they anticipate the hiring manager might ask.

But a hiring process is a two-way street, up to and including when an offer is made. That's perhaps never been more true than it is now, when unemployment is at a historic low and people can be choosier about the jobs they take. But even in a tough job market, a job interview means you are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you.

One woman shared a story that took that idea to the next level with a hiring practice that really should be standard everywhere.

Allison Peck shared in a LinkedIn post last year that she'd had a manager offer her three professional references—women who had worked for him in the past—so she could get some outside perspective on what he was like as an employer.

"Why don't hiring managers give 3 of THEIR references to job candidates?" Peck wrote. "This happened to me once and I'll never forget it. I was in the final round of interviews at a company years ago, and the hiring manager asked me for 3 references. Naturally, I provided him their contact info. And he said this:

'Thanks, here are 3 women who have reported directly to me previously and they've agreed to speak with you if you're curious what it's like working on my team.'

When I called those three women, they all had great things to say and that man was one of the best managers I've ever had.

Any hiring managers out there confident enough in their leadership abilities that they'd offer this in the future?"

The fact that the manager recognized that she might want feedback from other women shows an understanding of the dynamics that women can face in the workplace, which is a good sign in and of itself. And that he offered the references without even being asked was also a definite plus.

Ironically, the kind of employer who would offer such a thing the way he did is probably the kind of employer you'd want to work for, without even having to contact their references. But talking with people who have worked for your potential boss before could definitely offer some peace of mind and give you added information you may need to make a decision about a job. It also makes it more likely that you'll both be a good fit for one another, which again is the whole point of the hiring process.

Commenters agreed.

"I love this. When I hire into my team it's something I offer too. I'm still in touch with people who were reporting to me 8-10yrs ago, most of whom have gone on to do some wonderful things and I now consider friends." – Karen Hutchison

"I am with you on that. At my stage of my career, I will max out on salary and the benefits are usually decent. So what I care about is the team and leadership. So when I was unexpectedly let go 9 months ago and started looking all over again, I made it a point to ask about the team leader/manager and any other dynamics if I got to be interviewed by a peer panel. I ended up going with the job where the peers spoke highly of their manager both privately and in group interviews. I just wanted to work where boss actually cares about people more than they cared about managing her/his boss." – John Waldbaum

\u201c@mnl416 @ChristineB143 @tiffmc1013 I do this regularly, reverse references. It has worked out for me in my career on both sides of the hiring bargain.\u201d
— Bitch McConnell\u2122 (@Bitch McConnell\u2122) 1640724403

"Ok, I'm impressed. It would be great if this was normalized, and honestly, it would benefit both prospective hires as well as organizations. Many people get a job and start off excited just to find out that the manager they ended up working with is not exactly a good manager for them. This can translate into poor performance or even turnover. You can only find out so much during an interview that is timed and has set unwritten norms/ expected "etiquette". Normalize reverse references!!!" 😁 – Stanley Molton

"Wow I wish this were done everywhere! Speaking to other women candidates during the interview has never given me the sense they can speak openly (especially if it's recorded), because at the end of the day, they still report to that manager. Now, a manager that does this is demonstrating that there's recognition and sensitivity to what women are faced with in the workplace, and they have confidence in their reputation even behind closed doors." –Larissa Morrell

Resources like Glassdoor have helped provide an avenue for former employees to share their experiences, but there's an extra layer of impressiveness when a potential employer offers you their references themselves.

Reverse references. Let's make it a thing.

From Your Site Articles

If just hearing the words job and interview together sends chills down your spine, you're not alone.

A whopping 92% of Americans report feeling fearful over the job interview process. And with good reason! What's more torturous than sitting in a room being judged on everything — from your voice and your shoes to each syllable that escapes your mouth — with your potential income and livelihood on the line?

Job interviews are tough. But they can be a whole lot tougher if you have autism.

A gripping new PSA by the U.K.'s National Autistic Society takes you into the mind of someone who has autism to better understand what a job interview might feel like for someone in their shoes:

"Employers don't see my abilities," the video description reads. "They see my autism. They see a problem."

The unemployment rate among people with autism is massive — and not at all reflective of the skills and qualities they offer employers.

As the National Autistic Society points out, just 16% of adults with autism in the U.K. are employed full time, and you'll find similarly alarming figures in the U.S., too.

While finding a job might not be the right fit for some people with autism, the vast majority are able and want to work; they just face many more roadblocks in getting an opportunity to do so.

"Autistic people can have strengths which may be beneficial to employers, such as tenacity and the ability to see things in a different light," said Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society. "But they frequently tell us they experience too much information when applying for jobs and at work — for instance, being bombarded by questions [during a job interview], by noisy open plan offices, or with anxieties over following unwritten social rules."

GIF via National Autistic Society.

There are simple ways to make workplaces more welcoming for folks with autism, though.

If you're an employer, subtle changes in your application process and the work environment can make a huge difference.

For instance, many hiring managers default to listing qualities like "has good communication skills" or "is a team player" on applications for roles that don't, in fact, require it. This may dissuade someone with autism from applying even if they have the talents and skill set for the role. You may miss out on landing the perfect candidate.

Inclusive hiring policies aren't just the right thing to do, they're good for business.

Image via iStock.

Most of us aren't employers, though, and there are ways for us to make a difference, too.

First of all, understanding why your colleague with autism might interact differently or do things around the office in their own way is crucial. This isn't because they're rude or inept. They just work and socialize differently than you do.

Being able to listen patiently is a big one. When they go over all the stats from last night's game, hear them out (you might learn something interesting). Don't take it personally if they don't seem interested in your weekend plans — many people who have autism have trouble understanding all the nuances to our unwritten rules around social etiquette. And if they don't make eye contact with you, that's OK, too; it's not because they're impolite. Doing so can be stressful for some people with autism. If they're hesitant to look directly at you, follow their lead and back away from the typical in-your-face way we tend to communicate in the workplace.

Really, it doesn't take all that much to make our world way more accommodating to people with autism. We just have to make the effort.

You meet all the qualifications. Your résumé is perfect. But you don't get a callback.

Maybe there were a wealth of qualified candidates. Or maybe the reviewer saw your name and just "had a feeling." Too often, the latter turns out to be true, as unconscious bias often plays a role in hiring decisions, and it largely affects women and people of color.

Photo by WOCinTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

That's why the local government in Victoria, Australia, recently launched an 18-month experiment with blind applications.

Yeah, it's basically the human-resources equivalent of "The Voice."

GIF via "The Voice."

The trial will evaluate which pieces of personal information like age, gender, name, or location should be shown or hidden from reviewers during the employment application process. Government departments and agencies as well as a few private companies in the region will take part (the latter will receive financial benefits for participating).

But of course, Australia isn't the only nation with this problem. Not even close.

Here's why hiring managers and recruiters everywhere need to consider blind applications.

1. Because just using your given name can make your job hunt exponentially longer.

One study found that candidates with African-American-sounding names were 50% less likely to move forward to job interviews than candidates with white-sounding names, even with identical résumés. And research from the Australian National University revealed that to get as many interviews as an applicant with an Anglo-sounding name, a person with a Middle Eastern name would have to submit 64% more applications. A person with a Chinese-sounding name? 68%.

Photo by iStock.

2. Because even though we've shown them time and time again, some people still don't think women can get the job done.

In the1970s and '80s, orchestras around the world began using blind auditions to fill their ranks. Musicians perform behind a screen to disguise themselves, even removing their shoes if they could be a giveaway.

Photo by Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images.

When orchestras use the screen — even just for preliminary auditions — women are 50% more likely to make it to the final round of judging. Many attribute the increase in women in performance ensembles over the years to these blind auditions.

A recent (non-peer-reviewed) study of women coders got similar results. When those judging their work didn't know they were women, the reviewers were more likely to accept their suggestions.

Photo by WOCinTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

3. Because even your neighborhood can make people think twice about hiring you.

As if name and gender weren't enough, individuals making hiring decisions sometimes judge applicants on their address too. Regardless of race, people living in more affluent, better-educated neighborhoods receive more callbacks for interviews.

Photo by iStock.

Our biases continue into the interview process. Luckily, there ways to overcome them there too.

Some argue that interviews themselves are simply exercises in affirmation bias and aren't the best way to hire people. As Ori Brafman, behavioral expert and co-author of the book "Sway," told the New York Times: "Time and again, the research shows that interviews are poor predictors of job performance because we tend to hire people we think are similar to us rather than those who are objectively going to do a good job."

His suggestion? Replace the "first-date" model often used in interviews and stick to the facts: examples of past performance.

Photo by iStock.

Unconscious bias is just that: unconscious. But there are steps we can take to give qualified applicants a fair shot.

All of us, regardless of gender, race, or age have biases. It's up to us to acknowledge them, identify them, and take active steps to keep them out of the decision-making process.

It's easier said than done, but like this trial run in Victoria, we have to start somewhere.

Photo by iStock.

She was usually the only black woman in the room, so she created her own company to change that.

Success in the tech industry isn’t new to Melissa James.

The office-manager-turned-CEO of The Tech Connection helped grow her former team at Sample6 Technologies from a handful of techies to 25 people in just two years. She did all kinds of work, including ciphering through data and metrics, and finding the best and brightest applicants. This is where she started to notice an unfortunate trend, which she decided to conquer by founding her own startup.

When she started her career in tech, James was often the only black person — and the only woman — in the room.

Photo used with permission via Melissa James.

“When people hear the word 'diversity,' they tend to immediately think of race,” James said. “It’s more about the diversity of thought. You want a multitude of backgrounds representing your team, and that currently isn’t the case in most tech offices.”

Now, James is creating a software system to help companies "hire blindly."

Here’s how it works: According to James, many hiring managers see a name and instantly get an idea of who that person is and what their background means. James’ program removes the candidate’s name from the resume. It also removes where they went to school and their current location. Those details are replaced with their core skill set, where they’ve worked in the past, and the character strengths they bring to the table. This, she believes, will help increase hiring diversity for these companies.

While her product is limited to the tech world right now, she's working to ensure that the software won’t just be a product initiative. Instead, she hopes it'll also introduce a necessary dialogue about increasing workplace diversity.

James’ diversity concerns are echoed pretty much everywhere in the tech industry.

Does this look like your workplace? According to the data, probably not. Image via iStock.

Just last year, Apple came under fire for the lack of diversity on its leadership board. White men made up 72% of all leaders. Today, 28% of Apple's leaderships roles are held by women, 6% by Latinos, and just 3% by black leaders. Yikes.

Apple isn’t the only company struggling with diversity issues, though. Just about every major tech company in America, from Google to Facebook, is struggling to find the balance between men and women in the workforce. And the gap only gets larger as you climb higher up the leadership ladder.

Gay and transgender employees still make up about 6% of the workforce for federal, state, and local jobs, and workers with disabilities still struggle to find gainful employment, too.

When we remove opportunities to create and use stereotypes, we open ourselves up to lots of choices.

James' software is a push in the right direction, but it certainly isn't the only step we need for bringing diversity to every workplace.

Thankfully, lots of companies are working on this problem. Just last year, DiversityInc recognized companies including AT&T, Procter & Gamble, and Johnson & Johnson as leaders for increasing diversity. Apple declared a commitment to increase diversity in their offices, and "Saturday Night Live" added Sasheer Zamata to the cast after comments from cast member Kenan Thompson led to an outcry from viewers about the lack of initiatives to increase diversity.The methods vary in all of these cases, but it's clear that in all industries, the need for change has been made apparent.

“Diversity is like rice,” James said. "It’s a staple that’s cooked differently in every different household, and each version is delicious in its own way. We have to have that diversity in culture, ideas, and thoughts. Diversity is not limited to race, and when we tap into various community backgrounds when looking for talent, we inevitably find produce something greater.”

That sounds like a pot of goodness we can all enjoy.

hiring

Unemployed guy has some laughs explaining why finding a job is so frustrating these days

People can relate to the pain.

The typical job search experience. Painful.

Woman's potential boss offers his references during her interview. That's brilliant.

We often forget that the hiring process is a two-way street.

What a person with autism sees during a job interview in 2 eye-opening minutes.

If just hearing the words job and interview together sends chills down your spine, you're not alone.

The unemployment rate among people with autism is massive — and not at all reflective of the skills and qualities they offer employers.

There are simple ways to make workplaces more welcoming for folks with autism, though.

Most of us aren't employers, though, and there are ways for us to make a difference, too.

Your name and gender could prevent you from landing an interview. But there's a solution.

You meet all the qualifications. Your résumé is perfect. But you don't get a callback.

That's why the local government in Victoria, Australia, recently launched an 18-month experiment with blind applications.

1. Because just using your given name can make your job hunt exponentially longer.

2. Because even though we've shown them time and time again, some people still don't think women can get the job done.

3. Because even your neighborhood can make people think twice about hiring you.

Our biases continue into the interview process. Luckily, there ways to overcome them there too.

Unconscious bias is just that: unconscious. But there are steps we can take to give qualified applicants a fair shot.

This woman saw a problem with diversity in her workplace. Here's how she's fixing it.

She was usually the only black woman in the room, so she created her own company to change that.

Success in the tech industry isn’t new to Melissa James.

When she started her career in tech, James was often the only black person — and the only woman — in the room.

Now, James is creating a software system to help companies "hire blindly."

James’ diversity concerns are echoed pretty much everywhere in the tech industry.

When we remove opportunities to create and use stereotypes, we open ourselves up to lots of choices.

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