Social Media User Sheds Light on Grim Reality as She Goes Door-to-Door With Resume for a Job
Amidst layoffs and rising costs of living, the younger generation is struggling to find the employment of their choice, especially as a work-life balance is also more important in this day and age. Painting a grim picture of the times we live in, a Gen Z TikTok user is making headlines after she documented her quest to find a job and the reality surrounding job hunting today. A resident of Brooklyn, Lohanny Santos's video went viral on TikTok and garnered over 23 million views. Santos was seen standing in the streets of New York City when she made the video to talk about how frustrating the whole experience is.
"This is the most humbled I've ever felt in my life," the 26-year-old began. "I'm holding resumes, a stack of them so that I can go in person to places and say, 'Are you guys hiring?'" Santos said. "It's honestly a little bit embarrassing because I'm applying for like minimum-wage jobs," she said. "And some of them are being like, 'We're not hiring' and it's like, ‘What?’ This is not what I expected."
"I graduated [from] college, with two degrees in communications and acting. I speak three languages…I'm just going to keep trying," she said. Santos was holding copies of her resumes in the video that went viral, and she can be seen breaking down in tears. She got a lot of support in the comment section. One user writes, "Communication degree and three languages??? Girl, you looking in the right places?? That should make u bank," while another writes, "If you speak multiple languages and have a communications degree, you should look into translating for government agencies! Good $$ and benefits."
She later posted more videos in which she said, "I felt so down again. I was like, ‘Are you kidding?' Like, I finally got a job with the person who wants me to work for free…This is not cool," she adds.
She later told Fox News Digital that she has been receiving "outreach from people around the world." She also talks about how she never knew that so many people were unemployed, saying, "Some people have higher education than I do and they, themselves, are also struggling." She comments on how tough the job market is and how she now knows that she is not alone in her struggle.
She says that she used the traditional way of finding a job as she "needed to find a job fast." "I’m not sure if the old-fashioned way is the way to go, but it's a direction many of us take," she said. The graduate hopes that her videos will provide solace to those who are in between jobs and looking to better their careers. "I want everyone to know that it's OK to ask for help when you need it," Santos said. "There are so many people who are willing to help – I've been met with kindness."
"I’m thankful for my new audience across my social media platforms, and I'm excited to see where life takes me. I'm ready to experience success in my life," she adds.
US employment rates are the lowest in decades, and employers are taking longer to hire and some are even posting fewer jobs. This might be a result of a low labor participation rate rather than a healthy economy. Another survey shows that 46% of the respondents said that they are only getting jobs that are low paying and that there were not enough openings in their line.