A tearful Gen Z job seeker with two degrees and three languages said she felt “the most humiliated” after going door-to-door for a minimum wage job and then running away, adding that she was “just one.” “I want to be a TikToker.”
Lohanny Santos, 26, of Brooklyn, uploaded a video to TikTok of herself crying while holding a stack of resumes.
“This is the greatest feeling of humility I have ever felt in my life,” she said, telling viewers that she has tried to meet potential employers in person asking for a job – but so far has been unsuccessful.
She added: “Honestly, it's a little embarrassing because I literally apply for minimum wage jobs and some of them say, 'We're not hiring.' […] This is not what I expected.'
Santos, who graduated from Pace University with a degree in communications and a degree in acting, said she speaks three languages and seemed devastated after she couldn't find a minimum wage job in New York that would pay her $16 per month hour would pay.
Lohanny Santos (pictured), 26, from Brooklyn, uploaded a video to TikTok of herself crying while holding a stack of resumes
Santos admitted that “this sucks” as she wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. She said she wouldn't give up on her job search because she “literally needs to make money”
“This sucks,” she added, wiping away the tears streaming down her face. “I just want to be a TikToker if I'm serious about this with you, but I can't drive myself crazy anymore… Like I literally need to make money so I'm just going to keep trying.”
Santos isn't the only one unable to find a job in New York right now, as data from the New York State Department of Labor shows unemployment is on the rise.
The unemployment rate for New York City was 5.4 percent in December, an increase of 0.1 percent from November and an increase of 0.3 percent from December 2022. The unemployment rate in New York state was 4.5 in December 2023 Percent.
Santos' video seemed to resonate with many Zoomers – colloquial name for members of Generation Z – as it received 3.3 million likes on TikTok.
“Never feel embarrassed. “You should be proud of yourself for putting your pride aside and being realistic,” one of her fans wrote.
Another follower said: “This is exactly how you applied for jobs before the internet. There's no need to be embarrassed as this will give you real sales experience.”
But not everyone understood Santos' situation.
One commenter wrote: “Maybe you wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't studied communications and acting.”
Another asked: “Something tells me she's doing this because of the content?”
Santos, who tearfully vowed to keep trying (pictured above), isn't the only one unable to find a job in New York right now, as data from the New York State Department of Labor shows unemployment is rising
While Santos received compassionate comments from young people in the same situation, she also received a lot of criticism. Some users even accused her of faking her job search and crying in front of the camera
Some told her that her degrees and languages alone wouldn't get her a job, as experience was what employers considered most important.
“This used to be a normal process of looking for a job if you had no experience. The only difference is that we do it while studying and not wait until after,” one user wrote.
Others said Santos chose the wrong majors in college. “Well, picking communications and acting isn’t a good start,” said one.
Another added: “It's comedic to act like you're better than everyone else and then cry while applying for a mundane job. Getting off your high horse must be hard.”
But one Instagram user said it wasn't Santos' fault that she couldn't find a job, but instead that it was a problem for her entire Generation Z.
“The problem is your generation and everyone else’s perception that you are just trouble,” the user said.
“Business people don't want this stuff in their offices.” “I'm sorry you now see how your schools have failed you.”
In the end, Santos' public job search paid off as she landed her first brand partnership with a contraceptive pill company.
Some of her followers thought her viral video of her crying in front of the camera with the stack of resumes in her hand might have been just for show.
“This is planned,” wrote one user, while another commented: “I have a degree in acting and can cry on the spot.” “I don't want a real job, I want an easy way out and sponsorship.”
A third accused her of “just trying to get attention as an influencer so she doesn't have to get a real job.”