Part of the answer lies in the sense of scarcity we’ve all been living with. It’s not always economic scarcity—though that’s real for many—but something harder to name. A cultural feeling that there’s never enough: not enough time, money, stability, or clarity. It creates tension in everything, including hiring.

And despite all our tools, the process of finding and filling jobs has gotten harder, not easier. Technology was supposed to simplify things, but instead, it’s introduced a new set of challenges. Employers now post jobs across dozens of platforms, often with vague or unrealistic descriptions. Applicants, in turn, flood those postings with resumes, trying to game the algorithm or just cast the widest possible net. Everyone’s trying to outsmart a system that seems to reward volume over fit.

This isn’t just a feeling—there’s evidence behind it. According to a Harvard Business School study, many employers admit that their applicant tracking systems (ATS) automatically reject qualified candidates based on arbitrary criteria. Meanwhile, job descriptions themselves are often bloated with "ideal" qualifications no single person could reasonably have. Harvard Business Review reports that over 60% of postings include mismatched or unrealistic requirements.

As a result, both sides are disillusioned. Job seekers feel like they’re shouting into a void. Employers are overwhelmed with sameness—hundreds of near-identical resumes shaped by templates, software, and LinkedIn best practices. The friction isn’t just logistical, it’s emotional. The more we scale and automate the hiring process, the less human it becomes.

This misalignment leads to a deeper problem: people start internalizing systemic failures as personal ones. A friend recently described their unemployment as a failure. But unemployment isn’t a moral shortcoming—it’s a disconnect. Between your desires and the market. Between your resume and the algorithm. Between who you are and what the system thinks it wants.

Recruiters and coaches will often give you tools to navigate this uncertainty—and they’re not wrong. Practical advice does matter. But what often gets missed is the emotional toll. When you’ve internalized failure, it becomes incredibly difficult to see even obvious solutions. Your confidence shrinks. Your sense of direction gets foggy. And it’s in that fog that many people get stuck.

The truth is, your mind is your best weapon in the hunt for a new job. Clarity, resilience, and self-belief aren’t fluff—they’re strategy. You fail, you pivot. You fail again, you pivot again. Reclaiming that mindset might be the most important move you make. Clarity, resilience, and self-belief aren’t fluff—they’re strategy. And reclaiming that mindset might be the most important move you make. A friend recently described their unemployment as a failure. But unemployment isn’t a moral shortcoming—it’s a disconnect. Between your desires and the market. Between your resume and the algorithm. Between who you are and what the system thinks it wants.

We don’t need sweeping solutions to acknowledge that. We just need to name it. The hiring market isn’t broken because people are lazy or jobs are fake. It’s broken because we’re applying machine logic to human problems. And when you do that, everyone gets lost in the process.

We can’t fix it all today. Technology in recruiting isn't going away. But we can start by seeing the current system for what it is: a confusing, overloaded, depersonalized maze that even the smartest tools can’t make feel real. And in that clarity, maybe we can find a different way forward.

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