'I Feel Numb': Applicant With Master's Degree Unemployed For A Year Despite Applying For 12,000 Jobs

The current job market is facing its most significant downturn since the COVID-19 pandemic. The emotional toll of navigating such a market was recently highlighted by an applicant who said they had been unemployed for a year. Despite applying to over 12,000 jobs over the course of a year, the applicant revealed that they were unable to land a job, having completed their master's degree last year.

"Next month, I'll officially have been unemployed for exactly one year. I completed my master's in May 2025, and I still haven't landed a job," the user wrote in a Reddit post, adding: "I've applied to over 6,000 jobs on LinkedIn, 4,500 on Indeed, 664 on Glassdoor, and 900 on NaukriGulf."

The applicant said they were not seeking any advice, but admitted to feeling "numb" after a year of unemployment, wondering how they had survived this long.

"At this point, I genuinely don't know how I've managed to survive being unemployed for this long. And the strange part is I don't even feel anything anymore. I don't need advice. I'm way past fear, past shame. I just feel numb."

Check The Viral Post Here:

One whole year of unemployment.
by u/Educational-Zone6892 in recruitinghell

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Social Media Reactions

As the post gained traction, social media users shared similar experiences, highlighting that the hiring protocols in most companies were broken.

"15 months, but I landed a job finally. Hang in there," said one user while another added: "I'm so sorry. It's been a touch over a year for my brother too. It's brutal out there and it's not your fault. Best of luck."

A third commented: "Apparently, AI has taken over Resume and job applications. Even read companies are using AI to filter out applications. Not sure what you got your master's in, but this might just be outta your control."

A fourth said: "Honest question, how do you apply to that many??? It took me 3 years to get a full-time job while I worked part-time, and my numbers never hit that high. I did strategic applying."