As someone above entry level but with an atypical employment history, it's very rough out there. Went through the whole interview process with a company, was told in both the technical and culture fit interviews that I was "the strongest technical candidate", CEO ended final interview with "I hope to see you soon".
Got the standard rejection template email, on my birthday no less. My fiancé and I keep good spirits and have cut our expenses enough so that our debt is at least not growing, but we are definitely living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Spraying and praying is inundating recruiters, she said, [...] it’s also “the quickest way to get depressed.”
I wonder if that is still true for people who outsource their whole application process to AI. When spraying and praying still involved typing out and sending emails yourself, you were very aware of how many applications you had sent out and how few replies you had gotten. But if an agent found the offer and applied for you, you may not even be aware you were ghosted or rejected. Just ask the agent "only tell me when I have an interview".
Which does not change how broken the system is, but hey if it saves someone's mental health I guess that's progress
> A 2024 report by the Burning Glass Institute and Strada Institute for the Future of Work found that, a year after graduation, about half of US college grads were in jobs that “do not require a degree or make meaningful use of college-level skills.”
As someone above entry level but with an atypical employment history, it's very rough out there. Went through the whole interview process with a company, was told in both the technical and culture fit interviews that I was "the strongest technical candidate", CEO ended final interview with "I hope to see you soon".
Got the standard rejection template email, on my birthday no less. My fiancé and I keep good spirits and have cut our expenses enough so that our debt is at least not growing, but we are definitely living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Spraying and praying is inundating recruiters, she said, [...] it’s also “the quickest way to get depressed.”
I wonder if that is still true for people who outsource their whole application process to AI. When spraying and praying still involved typing out and sending emails yourself, you were very aware of how many applications you had sent out and how few replies you had gotten. But if an agent found the offer and applied for you, you may not even be aware you were ghosted or rejected. Just ask the agent "only tell me when I have an interview".
Which does not change how broken the system is, but hey if it saves someone's mental health I guess that's progress
Hermes or some other agent?
Report: https://www.resumebuilder.com/7-in-10-class-of-2026-grads-we...
Potentially related:
Talent Disrupted (2024) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49279800 - August 2026
> A 2024 report by the Burning Glass Institute and Strada Institute for the Future of Work found that, a year after graduation, about half of US college grads were in jobs that “do not require a degree or make meaningful use of college-level skills.”
College Grads Struggle to Find Jobs. Non-Grads Are Giving Up - https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-08-12/colleg... | https://archive.today/ccseC - August 12th, 2026
The Elite Overproduction Hypothesis (2025) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48015504 - May 2026
Half of College Graduates Are Working High School Level Jobs - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39512160 - February 2024