By: Imani Bennett

Trying to find a job in today’s economy feels like being stuck in a loop I can’t escape. Every morning I wake up, refresh my email, and hope that somebody finally sees my potential. Instead, I’m met with silence or another rejection after weeks of interviewing. It’s exhausting. It feels like companies expect you to jump through hoops just to prove you’re worthy of a seat at the table, then still tell you they went another direction.

What people don’t say out loud is that the job search is a job. It takes time, energy, patience, and mental strength, and sometimes it’s harder than the roles I’m applying for.

Before the interviews even start, the application process will stress you out. Everything is online now, which should make things easier, but somehow it doesn’t. Every job post asks me to upload my resume, so I do, thinking that’s the end of it. But right after that, the system wants me to retype every single thing that’s already on the resume I just uploaded. Job titles, duties, dates,
accomplishments, phone numbers, skills, and sometimes even random personality questions that don’t have anything to do with the job. It’s repetitive, time-consuming, and honestly feels pointless. Half the time I wonder if anyone even reads what I submit or if the whole process is
just there to filter people out instead of bringing people in.

Then comes the interviews, and that’s a whole different rollercoaster. Companies used to interview you once and make a decision. Now it feels like they want to meet you ten times before they even think about it. First there’s a phone screen. Then a video call. Then a panel. Then another panel. Then a “final” interview that still might not be final. I’ve had to complete
project assignments, record video responses, and answer the same questions over and over like nobody communicates internally. After weeks of giving them my time, my energy, and my best self, they’ll hit me with a generic “we decided to move forward with another candidate.” No feedback. No explanation. Just weeks of effort gone.

And layered underneath all of this is the reality of being Black in a world where DEI has quietly disappeared. The bias didn’t go anywhere. It’s just not being hidden anymore.

Trying to find a job shouldn’t feel this defeating, but here we are. I’m still pushing though. Because giving up isn’t an option, even when the system makes you feel invisible.