Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

This chart perfectly encapsulates why the job search process sucks

This is why job applications are such a nightmare

Shannon Cooper
By

If you’ve ever applied for a job online, you know just how irritating the whole process can be. With buggy websites, lengthy forms, and repetitive questions, it’s a wonder anybody’s actually able to land a new job at all. And you’re not alone in your irritations. This comedic chart made by Matt Shirley (@mattsurelee on Instagram) perfectly explains why the job application process sucks so much. And with more than 20,000 likes on Instagram, it seems like everyone is feeling the job search frustration.

Why are job searches so terrible?

Image used with permission by copyright holder

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 10.1 million job openings in August. Despite claims that “nobody wants to work anymore,” hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. are searching for new jobs. Perhaps inspired by the great resignation, many workers are realizing they have more power in the workforce than they once thought. They’re seeking out new opportunities with higher pay, more benefits, and a better work-life balance. And given the state of the job market, it would seem that (on paper, at least) there’s plenty of work to go around. Why then is it so difficult and time-consuming to even land an interview?

Recommended Videos
Related

Online applications were supposed to make the job search process simpler, but in reality, they’ve only complicated it further. As shown in Shirley’s hilarious chart, applying for a new job should be as simple as providing your name and address, uploading your resume, and hitting submit. But in reality, there are so many additional, unnecessary steps.

Many businesses want you to create an account on their portal, upload a resume, write a personalized cover letter, and answer dozens of questions (with the same info from your resume and cover letter). You’re expected to jump through all these hoops without any guarantee of an interview or even an emailed response. The end result is, as Shirley puts it, inevitably “losing your mind.”

Frustrated? You’re not alone

People shaking hands at a job interview
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Irritations when applying for jobs seem to be a nearly universal experience. And there’s even research to back up the feeling Shirley so perfectly distilled in his chart. The 2022 Greenhouse Candidate Experience Report surveyed more than 1,500 job seekers and employees to understand the expectations and realities they face in the job market. Over 60% of job hunters stated they were, “unimpressed by time-consuming recruitment processes and are demanding companies create a more modern recruiting experience.” In fact, more than 70% of respondents will not submit a job application if it takes more than 15 minutes to complete.

And the irritations don’t end with the application. Many job seekers were equally annoyed with slow recruiter responses and follow-ups. Even when applications resulted in interviews, survey respondents stated that they were still faced with “unprepared and late interviewers, inconsistent feedback, and ghosting” (more than 75% had been ghosted after an interview). Because of this disrespectful treatment, job seekers are quick to move to better opportunities—much to the business’ detriment.

From start to finish, finding a new job is a frustrating undertaking. Despite millions of open positions, companies still make the job application process time-consuming and overly complicated. Perhaps it’s time for a new job search process: if you have the perseverance and determination to make it to the end of the application, you automatically get the job—no questions asked.

Editors' Recommendations

Shannon Cooper
Shannon Cooper
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Shannon Cooper has written about everything from pet care and travel to finance and plumbing in her seven years as a writer…
MLB playoffs ump cam gives first-hand look at why baseball is so beautifully difficult
Idk, man, I'd just swing and hope for the best
Baseball game at the Coliseum in Oakland.

Now that MLB playoffs are well underway, it becomes harder and harder to deny the remarkable skill that every major league player has to possess in order to compete. The ALCS and NLCS have both turned into nailbiters, proving that even within the MLB, there are a few teams and players that stand above the rest.

Even as we remain riveted by individual games and performances, though, it's also worth considering just how difficult the game of baseball always is at the professional level. TV can make this strangely difficult sometimes. It makes long distances seem shorter, fast pitches seem slower, and incredibly precise windows seem easy to hit. When you see things from a slightly different angle, you begin to realize just how difficult hitting a professional pitch can be.

Read more
The metric system is superior to the imperial system (and this chart proves it)
Cool chart shows just how great the metric system really is (and why the imperial system sucks)
Various rulers showing centimeters and inches

If you’ve ever had to look up "how many ounces in a pound," "how big is a pint of beer," or "how many inches is 5.5 feet," you’re not alone — well, at least in the U.S. The U.S. is one of the only countries that still uses the annoyingly complicated measurement system known as the imperial system. Most other countries don’t know the struggles of trying to convert measurements without a calculator, as most regions use the metric system.

This metric system vs. imperial system chart posted on Reddit perfectly encapsulates why the metric system is so much better. But first, let’s take a look at the basics of the metric and imperial systems and how they differ.

Read more
What is DMT? Learn why this powerful drug is unlike other psychedelics
Find out what DMT "elves" are all about, among other things
A whole lot of psychedelics. DMT and other drugs.

The world of psychedelic drugs has grown way beyond the magic mushrooms previous generations used to take at Grateful Dead concerts. It has grown and expanded in many ways, including DMT, a powerful drug that has come on the scene.

So what is DMT? I recently gave it a try. The instructions were simple: Inhale from the vape for three sustained pulls — while seated. That last bit is crucial because it doesn’t seem like your body is capable of much — standing included — when DMT is on the scene. Come to think of it, I have no idea what your body is doing when you’re smoking DMT because after I took the third pull, I’m pretty sure I went somewhere else. I’m also pretty sure that my body stayed behind, more or less collapsed on the couch of my Vancouver Airbnb.

Read more