I have often felt shame looking for work. Two layoffs in the last two years will do that. I know many have felt this, especially if you have degrees and work experience: You’re willing to work; ready to work, you waited to work, paid dues, and yet, you can’t find it.
Anecdotally, many people on my feeds and my life with college degrees and multi-years working seem to be struggling to find work. People aren’t even getting a interview or communications from employers.
Part of this, or maybe all of it, might be the current job environment. In 2026, the current labor market is weird: low hiring and low firing, seems to be the theme. Employers seem paused. Unemployment hovers around 4%, which isn’t bad, but the rate has increased slowly for three years, which is strange.
Then in the world of trying to get a job, it has gotten immensely difficult and also weird. The under- networked have never had it harder: cover letters, interviews, resumes are all twisted in a game of using Artificial Intelligence, used by both job seeker and job hirer.
Seekers can generate thousands of applications quickly, if they so choose. Many hirers use AI systems to screen applicants from basic resume to even initial screening phone calls. It’s a new world, and I think we’re all still trying to figure out what actually works.
All of this creates good conditions for those in a job they like, but difficult ones for new graduates and those looking for a better job, or a career switch. This, sadly, is me.
But I feel a little better after reading Search Work and talking with Rachel Mead Smith, who also runs the Words of Mouth Newsletter that aims to share creative professional opportunities. “It is so universal,” Rachel told me on the podcast about the feeling of looking for work. “There are very, very few people privileged enough to never have to look for work.” This is true no matter the market. And if we know anything, we know it will change again.
Rachel says that the in-between moments from going from one job to the next can often be perceived as “dead air.” This is where the shame comes in: we feel guilty we’re looking for work. When I meet someone new, I always debate if I should say I’m looking for work and give the whole story of why I am looking for work. It feels like something I should pretend isn’t happening.
But in fact, that space isn’t dead; it’s very alive. It’s a full cerebral experience. It’s a space where you become a new person, imagine a life anew every time you open up a new application or write a new cover letter. You sometimes need to find a new skill, warp or change your identity, meet new people, tap into something long ignored; sometimes it’s a space where you take a job you don’t want, but need.
As Rachel says in the podcast, the experience is “loaded” with economic and social stakes. Everything can be in the balance as you search for work. Every conversation, interview, cover letter, resume, reach out on LinkedIn carries the potential to help you find the next pocket of security. A security most people crave.
Overall, the experience of looking for work is a human experience. Some of us do it often, others will do it their whole lives, as Rachel has pointed out. Her book leaned on readers of her newsletter that has over 80,000 readers from around the world. She curated and edited submissions. You’ll find essays, art, email screenshots, and a testimonials from that human space of looking for work. The book is a vast collection of voices and experiences on job search.
Talking with Rachel is the start of my first mini-series. This first one is about jobs and work. If you’re looking for work, or have struggled in work life, you won’t want to miss this one.
Enjoy this episode on the Book Stuff website and on Apple and Spotify.
Stay curious, keep reading.
