Recruiter Explains Why It’s So Hard To Get Hired In 2024, Gives Advice On How To Apply For Jobs

The job market looks solid on paper, but some people who are actively looking for employment say it feels really difficult.

26-year-old recruiter Kourtlynn Faith has recently echoed their concerns, providing additional details on the situation from a business perspective.

In a TikTok video that has since gone viral, she not only explained the challenges that both sides face, but also shared advice on how applicants can improve their chances and get an offer quicker.

Despite positive statistics, some job seekers still face significant challenges

Image credits: @kourtlynn_

It’s very hard to get a job right now. And as somebody who’s been in recruiting for six years, I’m going to tell you guys what has changed, what’s going on, give you all the tea, because it’s hard. And maybe this can get you a job.

I was laid off three times last year, it took me seven months to find a job. I was not the only person in recruiting or HR that was laid off. If you have a company that has 300 jobs listed, right, you might only have five recruiters for all 300 of those roles.

Image credits: Edmond Dantès (not the actual photo)

It used to be like, 12-15 recruiters to one company, one department in a company. So it takes a long time to go through resumes.

Every single job I’ve ever worked at, we have looked through every single resume. I have never used AI and I’ve never used an automated system. So if you have 300 roles posted, you have 2,000 people applying to each role.

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

How long do you think that takes? Of those thousands of people that apply, maybe more than half of them apply to roles that they’re not qualified for.

It used to be, six years ago, you could apply for roles you weren’t qualified for and you might get hired, it happened to me. But now companies are not willing to spend the money or the time to train people and it really sucks.

Image credits: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA (not the actual photo)

Number two, you do not need to pay somebody to do your resume for you. You can download Star Resume or go to starresume.com.

It’s like a free app, or you can do it on your computer, use that resume template. I have used it for years. It’s very simple because recruiters only spend about 30 seconds looking at somebody’s resume.

Image credits: Markus Winkler (not the actual photo)

Number three, I cannot stress enough how a temp agency can help you get a job.

The amount of roles that are converted from temporary to permanent in these companies is insane, and not only temp roles, but sometimes we outsource to these agencies and say ‘Hey, we don’t have a candidate that’s great. You guys have anybody?’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah,’ and then that person gets hired.

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

Look at companies like Randstad, Robert Half, there are so many more. Indeed, ZipRecruiter, let them go. Last thing, to be very honest, I am making less than I have ever made in a recruiting position ever because the job market sucks.

Companies don’t want to spend money. It is what it is. I still have to do my little little things on the side to make money. It sucks, but it is what it is. And I wish things would change. I hope they change, but it’s really bad right now and hopefully these things can help somebody get a job.

Kourtlynn’s candid video has been viewed over 1.8 million times

@kourtlynn_ I could go on and on. We have to do somrthing cause this is getting out of control #fyp #jobmarket #lifelessons #inflation #unemployed #lifehacks ♬ original sound – Kourtlynn Faith

Kourtlynn told BuzzFeed that she’s never seen hiring take this long. “Companies are… more strategic and have smaller headcount, which results in spending more time to find the best hire so they don’t have to spend more money on resources, training, and high turnover repair,” she explained.

So for everyone who is currently looking for a job, Kourtlynn recommends you go through your résumé and make sure it aligns with the skills in the job postings you’re applying to.

“If a job posting lists something that I know I can do but I don’t have it on my résumé, I will add it. I have multiple résumés saved because my résumé is not one-size-fits-all for the positions posted.”

Then, network. “At every company I’ve been at, all referrals must be contacted or interviewed at some point. The referral may not make it past the recruiter to the hiring manager, but you will speak to someone.”

Kourtlynn also suggests being intentional in your job search and targeting only roles you’re certain you’re a fit for. “At one point, I was applying to every role I saw on LinkedIn — it wasn’t until I became strategic that I was able to land a job.”

The recruiter also believes that it’s worth applying with temp agencies and staying off the beaten job-board path. “I would go to temp agencies. Research companies and apply on their websites, not through sites like LinkedIn or Indeed.”

The metrics say that demand for workers in the US picked up slightly in February in a sign that the job market remains on strong footing, though layoffs also ticked up that month.

There were a seasonally adjusted 8.8 million job openings in February, a notch higher than the prior month’s downwardly revised 8.74 million. That’s roughly in line with economists’ expectations. For context, the number of available jobs remains well above pre-pandemic levels, but is down from a record high of 12.2 million in March 2022.

“Recent numbers, including job openings as well as initial jobless claims, continue to indicate that the US labor market has remained stable,” Eugenio Aleman, chief economist at Raymond James, said on Tuesday.

However, statistics also tell us that layoffs increased to a 14-month high in March, and there were only 1.36 job openings for every unemployed person in February, compared to 1.43 in January, government data showed this week.