24yo Aussie reveals she hasn’t been able to get a job after university

A young Aussie has revealed the “insane” reality of Australia right now and surprising salary she is willing to settle for but still can’t achieve.

A young Aussie has revealed that she hasn’t been able to land a job after six months of looking.

Nat Zelez, 24, has been looking for a job since January, but despite doing a degree, having one year of experience and doing multiple internships, she’s been unable to land even an entry-level marketing job. 

In typical Gen Zer fashion, she took to TikTok to ask for advice because she’s fed up with being “rejected”.

She said that nobody had told her it’d be so difficult to find a job in marketing after spending three years at university. 

“It is insane,” she said. 

Nat Zelez has taken to TikTok to vent about the job market. Picture: Instagram/nat.zelez

The clip has amassed over 20,000 views. Picture: Instagram/nat.zelez

Ms Zelez said that after six months of looking, she’s now wondering if she should give up altogether. 

“Do I just go travelling? And just come back next year and keep looking? Or do I keep looking for work and keep getting rejected?” she asked. 

Ms Zelez told news.com.au that she returned from travelling in October last year. She’d given up an entry-level marketing job earning $52,000 but figured there’d be plenty of options once she returned.

She started looking around as soon as she got back, but figured she wouldn’t land anything right away because everyone was gearing up for Christmas instead of looking for staff. 

In January, she got serious about finding a job but hasn’t had any luck. Instead, she’s stuck in the endless cycle of applying for jobs, going to interviews and getting her hopes up. 

“I went travelling thinking it was going to be super easy to get a job when I came back but it has been really difficult,” she said.

At the beginning of her job search, the young Aussie said she was “cocky” and self-assured, sure that she would land something.

She said now feeling “confident” after so many knock-backs is a struggle. She would rather leave the country and travel than get rejected from another job she’s excited about.

The young Aussie doesn't know what to do anymore. Picture: Instagram/nat.zelez

She's revealed the ‘insane’ reality of looking for a job. Picture: Instagram/nat.zelez

Ms Zelez is completely disappointed that she hasn’t managed to land a full-time gig and doesn’t understand why she is finding it so difficult.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” she said. 

Ms Zelez should be in a good position to nab an entry-level job. She has more experience than a fresh graduate and is prepared to take a relatively-low salary of $55,000. But, even though her expectations are reasonable, she’s not getting any bites. 

She’ll go for interviews and be told she’s “perfect” for the role, sometimes to the point of being given an office tour or meeting other staff members, only to get a dreaded email telling her they’ve decided to go with a different candidate. 

“They’ll email me back and say ‘we are looking for someone with more experience’, but it is advertised as an entry-level job. Make it make sense,” she said. 

Currently, she’s working in hospitality and living with her parents until she lands something steadier, but it hasn’t happened. 

“It feels debilitating. You know, I’ll get through to an interview, and they’ll say you are perfect, and then …” she said.

Then she’ll get rejected and Ms Zelez doesn’t have time to lick her wounds. She’ll be back online applying for jobs, going to interviews and being asked the same questions again and again. 

She's been looking for six months. Picture: Instagram/nat.zelez

With zero luck. Picture: Instagram/nat.zelez

Ms Zelez, who works nights at a club as a bottle girl, said she doesn’t even feel like she can get a 9-5 retail job because she needs to be free to find a job within her degree. 

“If I was working full-time in retail. I wouldn’t have time to go to interviews. It would be impossible,” she argued. 

Ms Zelez knows she isn’t alone. One of her university roommates is still working in retail and in the “same boat”, but she’s feeling exhausted and fed up by the process. 

Online young people were quick to reinforce that she wasn’t alone.

“As someone who has also been looking for 9 months, I’d travel. I feel as though the current economic climate isn’t likely to resolve itself soon sadly,” one wrote.

“Unfortunately, marketing is a very saturated market for employees right now. go and travel, enjoy your time a bit,” another advised.

“This is why I did my postgrad; having to put ourselves into debt just to get a decent job is insane,” another wrote.

“Can relate. It’s been 12 months for me, and still nothing,” one wrote.

Liam D’Ortenzio, head of people and culture at Employment Hero, said that the Aussie job market has “shifted” for job seekers in the past few years.

“Gen Z and millennials are especially competing for employment in a very tough market,” he said.

“When it comes to their expectations and values, today’s job market is more diverse than ever. Let’s add to that heady mix: a global pandemic, a war in Europe, and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis across the world. It’s fair to say that job seekers are coping with a unique set of challenges finding employment.”

Mr D’Ortenzio said that the current landscape for job seekers has changed.

“While prior years saw a candidate-driven market, the current landscape indicates a tilt towards employer dominance. But this doesn’t mean that job seekers are powerless,” he said.

“Use this time to upskill and differentiate yourself from the crowd. Be proactive in learning about employer expectations and workplace trends.”

Originally published as 24yo Aussie reveals she hasn’t been able to get a job after university