The Job Search Feels Like a Game, and Young Adults Can’t Win

After graduation, employment seems like the next logical step. Most graduates, myself included, rely on job boards and network connections to land their first job. Young adults have a tendency to enter the job market with a sense of optimism, but they’re soon smacked in the face with a dose of reality. Merely applying for jobs can be difficult, and it becomes an uphill battle as time progresses. After a while, people feel they’re players in a game rather than professionals with skills.

I held a sense of excitement when I started to apply for jobs. I had degrees, but I was warned of the challenges ahead. Naively, I thought I would be different. Newsflash: I wasn’t. Applying for jobs was a long and tedious process, and there was little success relative to the number of applications I submitted.

Over time, I started to notice some red flags. The longer I spent looking for jobs, the challenges became more obvious. Then, I found the same issues during my second and third job searches. Job searching is not designed to be fun, nor is it designed to help young adults find the perfect fit. Rather, the job search serves the interests of businesses. This is especially true early into your career. Newer employees are more replaceable than the older ones, and if you don’t jump at an opportunity it will be taken by someone else.

Keep in mind, this is an assessment based on my personal experiences. I’ve probably reviewed thousands of job postings over the past decade, and…