job market so bad people are turning to witchcraft

How's it going?

This week I read a horror story in 10 words:

"It only took me 573 applications to get a job."

Are there chills down your spine, too?

The job market right now is scary, but it's also just…sad. Job seekers are really struggling out there, and it's hard not to empathize when any employed person could easily be in their position with a simple change in circumstance.

Even the most experienced candidates are spending months in unemployment limbo, writing cover letters, adjusting resumes, and sending off applications into the void.

This is a good time to remind anyone feeling desperate that it's not you. What we have here is a busted hiring system—one that isn't very human at all.

An overwhelming majority of companies now use Applicant Tracking Systems designed to filter out applications, meaning 75% are never even reviewed by a human being. Meanwhile, a 2022 survey revealed that around 50% of hiring managers keep job listings posted because they're "always open to new people," and 43% post fake jobs to keep current employees motivated or give the impression of company growth.

Job seekers are navigating a system designed to waste their time and keep them unemployed.

Back in 2022, the average unemployment duration was about 8 weeks. Today, it's closer to 22 weeks. As time goes on, applications go unanswered, and rejection letters pile up, it would be surprising if a person didn't feel shame, desperation, or hopelessness.

When you're trapped in this system, it's natural to look for any sense of control or hope you can find. And if you've ever been in that position, you've probably been willing to do some pretty kooky stuff to get out of it.

Last year I was in a weird spot myself. My business was slow to take off, and I had convinced myself that the only explanation was that I had been hexed (I know, I know). So what other choice did I have but to pay a witch on Etsy $4 to remove whatever curse had been placed upon me? Seemed logical to me at the time.

And you know what? A month later everything got better, and I started telling everyone that witchcraft dug me out of my monthslong funk.

You might imagine I wasn't all that surprised when I started seeing viral videos of people navigating this job market and turning to Etsy witches to help them land work—with success, mind you.

But…no one turns to an Etsy witch on day 1 of unemployment, and no one uses one to replace real effort, either. They turn to one when they're weeks or months into unemployment and have poured a lot of time and effort into the process and are close to a breakthrough anyway. Let's be careful about giving witches all the credit for our tireless work (this is a reminder for me too).

The thing is, all that tireless work also needs to be strategic work. And that's harder than it sounds when the internet is overflowing with garbage advice—most of it outdated, cliché, and completely useless for the marketing industry specifically.

Which is exactly why we created the Marketer’s Guide to Getting Hired.

This free 57-page resource is full of actionable examples and tips for navigating this job market, with contributions from real life marketers who have been there and get it. It’s a practical guide, sure, but it’s also designed to give you the confidence boost you need to push forward and get that damn job.

So if you want to use an Etsy witch to help you land that job, go for it (and please report your results back to me). But an Etsy witch isn't going to send an application, help you nail your interview assignment, or negotiate your worth. Our Getting Hired Guide will. Just sayin'.

Talk soon,

Ines

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