Young adults face an uphill battle when applying for jobs in 2024. According to CBC News, this year’s summer unemployment rate has risen to its highest national level since 2012, with the only exception being the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020. 

Even with masters degrees in STEM fields, many students report difficulty finding positions for jobs which they are qualified for. In an interview with CP24, one graduate described the job-hunting process as “demoralizing” after submitting around 400 job applications this summer. 

This resonated with me as an unemployed student. After every job rejection, I often found myself asking, “why am I not good enough?” As a student with a diagnosed mental illness, I also became intrigued by the overlap between mental health and job searching. The more I researched, the more I realized I wasn’t alone. 

Links between job seeking, mental health, and unemployment

In August, online research conglomerate Resume Genius surveyed 1,000 active US job seekers and found that 72 per cent reported job hunting had negatively impacted their mental health. 

Furthermore, researchers at the AIMS Public Health analyzed a 2021 survey of over 10,000 Canadians to explore the link between unemployment and mental health. They found that, compared to employed or retired Canadians, “those who were unemployed were more likely to have lower self-perceived mental health.” 

The statistics are even more shocking when examining Canadians with diagnosed mental illnesses. The Canadian Mental Health Association reports that 70 to 90 per cent of Canadians living with serious mental illnesses are unemployed. It also indicates that individuals with mental health conditions want to work but often struggle to find work due to a lack of accommodations and resources. 

I was further humbled after reading a 2021 Harvard Business report on issues affecting the current labour market. Among long-term unemployed individuals in the US who were actively seeking work, only 17 per cent reported that a change in mindset and improved mental health helped them eventually secure employment. 

The word “demoralized” and the feelings associated with it flashed through my mind again. I felt trapped in a positive feedback loop where my mental illness acted as a barrier to finding work: the rejections of applications and the looming stress of unemployment further exacerbated my depressive mindset, making it increasingly unlikely that I would successfully find work.

Was there no escape? Was I too deep in this black hole of sinking depression, sucking up all hope of ever finding a job? To begin compartmentalizing my spiralling thoughts, I sought mental health counselling through U of T and reached out to accessibility services for guidance. 

How to improve our mental health while we job search

First, understanding the root cause of this consistent rejection helped to redirect my mindset. 

In the digital age, many companies use AI-powered hiring software to sift through job applications. The same Harvard Business report highlights this phenomenon, revealing that 99 per cent of the 500 largest companies in the US use this technology. The report also states that these automated systems can exclude potential candidates whose resumes do not match the exact criteria established by the job description, even if those candidates could perform “at a high level with training.”

Therefore, increasing the likelihood of getting hired involves tailoring our resumes with these automated systems in mind. Additionally, we should remember that a job rejection under these conditions does not reflect one’s abilities, qualifications, or personal worth. Instead, it often indicates that a computer could not draw a direct parallel between the application and the job description. Fine-tuning this process is an acquired skill that even the most qualified candidates frequently struggle with. 

I urge unemployed readers of this article not to be too hard on themselves. I encourage you to research how job applications are evaluated and to strategize with job coaches on methods to manipulate these machines just as much as they manipulate us. 

More importantly, use the mental health services at U of T that are already included in your tuition. As a personal example, scheduling a weekly check-in with a counsellor has not only helped me to feel better about job searching but also provided a consistent method to reprogram negative thought patterns. We are often our own worst critics, and having an outsider dismiss our worst fears and validate our hopes is essential for positive mental growth. 

No matter how we rationalize our circumstances, rejection takes a toll on our mental health. It is difficult to find success when one’s mind is caught in an unending spiral of demoralization.

V Tucci is a first-year humanities student at University College. They are the social media manager for the Hardwire Student Journal.