A Gen-Z job seeker with two degrees broke down in tears after going door-to-door in the search of securing a "minimum-wage" job.
Lohanny Santos, a 26-year-old from Brooklyn with a dual degree and three languages up her sleeve, revealed on TikTok that she’s been looking for work but has been unsuccessful.
Carrying a stack of printed résumés, Santos - who goes by the handle @lohannysant - emotionally admitted that she’d given up hopes of becoming a full-time influencer and needed a job with a full-time salary.
"This is the most humbled I've ever felt in my life," she said, sharing that she was trying to meet potential employers in person.
Watch Santos' TikTok below:The young woman, who graduated from Pace University with a degree in communications and another in acting, was unable to find a minimum wage job that would pay $16 per hour in New York.
"It’s honestly a little bit embarrassing because I’m literally applying for, like, minimum-wage jobs," she said. "And some of them are being like, 'We’re not hiring' and it’s like, 'What?' This is not what I expected."
"This sucks," Santos said as she wiped away the tears rolling down her face. "I just want to be a TikToker if I'm being so for real with you but I can't be delusional anymore... Like I literally need to make money, so I'm just going to keep trying."
The graduate's video seemed to resonate with many fellow Gen-Zers as they flooded the comment section with similar experiences and words of support.
One person praised: "It’s so very brave to walk into places with your resume!! You’ll find a job," while another chimed in: "This is the realest TikTok I’ve seen in so long, I FEEL YOU DO NOT FEEL EMBARRASSED!!!"
"So many people are going through this right now! You are not alone! Nobody seems to know what the future looks like right now, we're all scared," someone heartfully shared.
A fourth user gave some suggestions, writing: "If you speak multiple languages and have a communications degree you should look into translating for government agencies! Good $$ and benefits while."
A fifth added: "If your resume is too impressive, they'll be afraid that you're gonna be short term and not worth training. tailor your resume to the skill level."
The Gen-Zer opened up about her situation to Business Insider, revealing that she was working as a nanny until she lost her position in November 2023. She then started to apply for corporate roles while creating content on her TikTok page in the hopes of becoming a "full-time influencer".
Sadly, her social media dreams shattered as she didn't generate enough income, and she wasn't getting responses from her job applications. That's why last month, she had a "reality check with [herself]" and printed out a stack of her résumés to find a job within a day.
"I went around to different coffee shops with my résumé in hand, the same way I did when I was 16. That's how I found my first job," she said, adding that it was unsuccessful. "I was so upset and disappointed in myself because growing up, I was told that if I get an education, if I go to college, then I'll be successful."
The TikToker disclosed that after posting her emotional video, she received job offers and opportunities from strangers, saying: "Not only do I have a newfound platform, but besides the social media, I am getting emails from people offering me jobs, offering me opportunities, sending me direct referral links to their jobs for me to apply to it."
Although she was worried that sharing her struggle online would paint her as "lazy," the opposite happened as she gained mass support and even went from 50,000 followers to 130,000 followers within 48 hours.
"I've been fearful of people thinking I'm lazy because I'm not working," she told the publication. "Just because I'm not working doesn't mean I'm not ready to work."
