Ghosted

Job Searching in 2025 Feels Like Trying to Marry Someone Who Won’t Even Text Back.

Let me explain.

I didn’t sign up for a relationship.

I signed up to apply for a job.

But here I am—emotionally invested, constantly refreshing my inbox, interpreting vague LinkedIn views like they’re romantic gestures.

It starts innocent enough.

I see the posting: “We’re looking for someone passionate, driven, and ready to grow.”

I whisper, “It’s me. I’m someone.”

So I spend an hour tailoring my résumé like it’s a love letter.

Remove the fluff. Add measurable achievements. Format it like a professional menu.

(Seriously, one more bullet point and it would’ve had dessert options.)

Then I get to the application site and…

Red flag #1: “Please sign up for our proprietary job portal.”

Fine. I create an account.

Red flag #2: “Upload résumé.”

Cool. Done.

Red flag #3: “Now manually re-enter your résumé.”

Why?

Is this a test?

Does the portal need me to prove I really want it?

Is it jealous of the PDF?

I comply.

I enter every job I’ve ever had, down to the one where I worked at a mall kiosk selling phone cases to people who absolutely did not want phone cases.

Then it gets real.

Security questions.

Behavioral quizzes.

“Click the squares that show traffic lights.”

There are 12. I click 11.

Wrong.

I try again.

Now it’s bridges.

Now it’s fire hydrants.

Now it’s my will to live.

Finally, I submit.

I lean back in my chair like I just filed taxes, run a marathon, and survived a breakup all at once.

And then?

Nothing.

No confirmation. No reply. Just radio silence and the cold, cold void of rejection that doesn’t even have the decency to be formal.

I follow up via email.

I get an automated response that says “Please do not respond to this email.”

Which, ironically, is exactly what they did to me.

Eventually, I get the dreaded message:

“After careful review, we’ve decided to move forward with other candidates.”

Other candidates?

You mean the one who just graduated but “crushed it on TikTok” and once read a book on synergy?

No shade. Just vibes. And deep existential dread.

But I’ve realized job hunting in 2025 isn’t about finding the perfect role.

It’s about staying emotionally intact while throwing résumés into a corporate black hole run by an algorithm named Brad who peaked in 2017.

Still, I keep showing up.

I keep applying.

I keep hoping.

I keep laughing through the pain like a deranged clown with résumé experience and a LinkedIn Premium subscription.

Because somewhere out there, a real job exists.

One with benefits. One with kindness. One where the recruiter actually follows up and doesn’t ghost me harder than my high school prom date.

And when I find it?

Oh, it’s over for corporate trauma.

But until then, I’ll be here—scrolling, applying, surviving, and making jokes to keep my sanity.

Because this job market may be wild…

But at least I’ve got a sense of humor and a fully optimized résumé.