"The Job Market Is Broken" — Woman Says Modern Job Interview Practices Are Not Normal

A woman applying for jobs states that she's fed up with the hiring processes companies are implementing in 2025, and it seems like she isn't alone.

TikTok user J (@j.33.22) posted a viral clip to the popular social media application that's accrued over 589,000 views. In it, she vented about how annoying it's been to look for a job in 2025, and numerous folks who replied to her video had similar complaints.

"I just had a thirty-minute phone interview, and what the f--k man?" she exclaims into the camera as she records herself walking throughout her home. "Like what the f--k is going on? I am to the point, I miss the days when you had to just go into a physical location, fill out an application, and you had one interview, you sat down. You talked to the freaking owner of the business, and at the end of it, you were offered a f--king job or you were told no."

J went on to mourn the days of more traditional job interview approaches that prioritized in-person, human interactions. She argued that earlier meetings between job-seekers and prospective employers were a better system than what she's currently experiencing in the job market.

"I miss those days, why in the flying f--k do we have, why is it the way it is today?" she questioned aloud to her viewers.

The first gripes she mentions with modern-day interview practices pertain to repeated assessments with hiring managers, along with the types of questions she's asked to answer during these meetings.

"I mean, two f--king interviews and the questions that are asked, my goodness. I have never been asked such stupid a-- f--king questions in my entire life."

Following this, the TikToker gives an example of the type of queries she's posed during her interviews.

According to her, one hiring manager seemed more interested in knowing whether or J thought of herself as a nice person, rather than finding out if she was competent enough to satisfy the requirements necessary to excel at the position she was applying for.

"The lady literally asked me, 'Are you kind?' What the f--k? How does, what the f--k? How does, I, I, just, I don't understand, I am going f--king crazy. Like, are you guys hiring or not? It's that f--king simple," she says into the camera.

Furthermore, she related that modern-day hiring practices have left her feeling frustrated and demoralized.

"I'm fed the f--k up, I'm fed the f--k up. And I know I cannot be the only one fed the f--k up with the job market and how things are operating today, it's just," she exhales at the end of her video, further driving home just how upset and defeated she's felt by her recent interactions.

While J's frustrations are palpable, and there were plenty of people in the comments section of her post who echoed her concerns, some have argued that her ennui with job searching is nothing new.

Business Insider penned an article stating that this kind of ire towards finding a job has been shared by multiple generations in 2025.

"It's something we can all agree on: career prospects are rough."

Moreover, the same piece delineated how different people, regardless of the time period they were born in, are coping with the difficulties in finding a job in 2025.

The Wall Street Journal writes, however, that there does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel for folks. And it isn't due to a collective change of heart and a desire to return to more social face-to-face talks, either.

But rather, artificial intelligence has forced the hands of employers in what seems like an unintended consequence of the prevalence of automated, self-learning technologies.

The outlet writes that, "More companies are returning to face-to-face meetings to counter cheating by candidates—and more ominous digital threats."

Virtual interviews on paper carry many benefits for job seekers and employers alike. If you're a hiring manager, you don't have to worry about booking a conference room to meet with multiple candidates at the office.

And if you're interviewing for a position, you don't need to stress about making it to a new building in maybe a different part of town you're unfamiliar with to land a new gig.

Additionally, if you're already gainfully employed, you probably won't have to take a whole day off work to head to said position.

But the WSJ article does highlight a drawback to virtual interviews: and it's folks utilizing external help to help curate pitch-perfect answers on the fly to make them seem like the perfect candidate.

Also, AI-screening software is implemented by companies in order to filter out prospective candidates. But this can backfire for recruiters as well.

If someone invests a considerable amount of time to format their resume to bypass this screening software, they can more easily secure an interview.

And there have been a number of folks on social media who've shared how they've successfully fooled these AI systems to get their foot in the door for an interview.

That, coupled with utilizing AI software mid-interview, can successfully fool a hiring manager into believing that they've got the goods for their jobs. Then, if this employee is hired, they might not possess the knowledge or requisite skills in order to perform the jobs they've been hired for in a pressurized situation.

Depending on the nature of the job contract signed, this could ultimately end up costing a company big bucks, especially if the prospective employee didn't have the best of intentions when signing up for the position.

However, a perceptive hiring manager with great communication and interpersonal skills should be able to filter out qualified candidates from those who don't cut the mustard.

That's not to say AI isn't all bad. If you're passionate about the industry you want to work in and have every intention of excelling at whatever company you apply to, working to format your resume to bypass these AI-screeeners could be a great way to showcase your talents and what you can bring to the table.

Do you share J's frustrations with the current state of the job market?