I’ve applied to over 500 jobs this summer, and I would be surprised if more than 20 were looked at by a human being.

This post was supposed to be a rant about the lost value in applying to jobs in today’s AI economy, titled “I’m Sick of Applying to Jobs to the Void”. That was going to be published before I ended up getting an internship! Hooray!

So, below is my premature rant on my job search. I’ll explain why it still holds 1000%:

I get it. You’re hiring in a big company and you can’t possibly look over every single application that comes your way. So you use an algorithm that sweeps out the bad applicants. But neither you nor your applicants understand this algorithm, and if it’s flawed, it’s discarding thousands of valuable applicants without hesitation.

I’m a pretty outgoing person. I used to think if I got an interview, I would be a shoo-in for the job because I’m talkative, interested in almost anything anyone has to say, and, not to brag, charming. And yet, after x many interviews, nada. zilch. zero. nothing. Why? My charm works wonderfully when talking to a real person, but not so much when I’m staring into my FaceTime camera.

I’m unsure how many HireVues I’ve done— at least 50. I’ve played games that somehow determine what kind of worker I’ll be, spoken about my interest in consulting (what even is consulting????), and smiled at my camera as if I was trying to appease it. In my Ethics of AI class, we learned about the many lawsuits HireVue has gone through and their lack of explanation as to what exactly their algorithms are taking into account. That’s not very encouraging, is it?

This is not how you determine if someone is fit for a job. After all, HireVue or any other non-human interviewing software is never the final step in determining whether or not someone makes the team. The human element, seeing if a candidate can hold an effective and entertaining conversation, is what matters. So why is a number memorization game that Hire Vue makes me do at all relevant to being a front-end engineering intern?!

I think my frustration is coming clear as day. I don’t like innacurate methdos of measuring ability. I’m a pretty smart person, but tests crumble me. My anxiety gets in the way, and the next thing I know, I’m sweating, tired, and lost. However, in any other form of assessing knowledge, I pass with flying colors. I could communicate this to my professors, and most of them see my passion and perseverance to put in the effort to study and work hard in their classes. I don’t have that alternate way of proving myself in a classic job interview process. It seems like I’m doomed from the start.

Alright, premature rant over. I got a job! Hooray!

Here’s why I got it: I didn’t pass a Hirevue, submit nine rounds of applications and background checks, or infinitely submit my application. I knew a guy. Before you get all mad at my being a Nepo baby, I was simply using the Santa Clara connections strategies I’ve been well taught. I met my future boss when I MC’d my dad’s best friend’s surprise birthday party last summer, and I joked to the crowd of Indian uncles that if any of them are looking for interns in their team, they should consider me. One of them did. I applied for the position, was interviewed in several rounds, and cut.

Today’s job application system makes finding a job more impossible than it used to be. And the least privledged are getting the most punished for it.

Mind you, this was on top of about six hundred job applications I had filled out since last summer. This wasn’t an easy task to achieve. The other jobs I was heavily considered for? Through connections or knowing someone who knew someone. So the h-e-double-hockey-sticks process of applying to trillions of jobs wasn’t even what landed me a role.

This is probably what bothers me the most about the job application process currently: it isn’t any more equitable than it once was. If anything, it’s even more inequitable. If I didn’t go to a college that provided me with the perfect resume template that AI bots could read through and understand, I wouldn’t have gotten a single interview, much less a role.

I hate this system, and if all I can do about it is rant to the universe, rant I shall. This will not be the last time you hear my grievances.