The heartfelt letter written by a software engineer residing in the US, who feels like they are "unhireable," even though they have applied to more than 2,000 positions, has gained much traction among professionals in the field, especially during the conversations around layoffs, automation, and ghosting in the tech industry.
Andrew, a Wisconsin-based software engineer with 25 years of experience, shared on X that despite decades in the industry, he has been unable to secure a job and has started questioning whether modern hiring systems are filtering him out before recruiters even see his profile.
“I have a hard time believing I am unhireable”
In his now-viral post, Andrew admitted he was struggling emotionally after repeatedly facing rejection and silence from recruiters. “I have a hard time believing that I am just unhireable,” he wrote. He also questioned whether the format of his resume had somehow cancelled out his 25 years of professional experience. According to him, the prolonged job search has slowly started affecting not just his confidence but also his concerns about financial stability and retirement. He added, "Kind of at the end of my rope here. I have to start thinking about what retirement looks like, and I am just plain NOT HIREABLE. Career change at this point doesn't seem likely. I have literally never done anything professionally other than write software (at least, not since college anyway). This is actually going to start affecting my way of life, my standard of living, not to mention the people that count on me to provide."
He believes AI hiring systems may be hurting experienced candidates
One of the biggest reasons the post gained attention is Andrew’s claim about Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and AI-driven hiring tools increasingly used by companies during recruitment. He alleged that after studying certain ATS systems, he noticed that terms such as “founder” and “freelancer” could sometimes be interpreted negatively, potentially making experienced or self-employed professionals appear “unemployed” within automated screening systems.
Andrew said he had contacted dozens of hiring managers directly in an attempt to understand what was going wrong, but claimed he received “ZERO response”.
The post struck a chord with many professionals online
The story is resonating widely because many professionals say they relate to Andrew's frustration. Several users online said the situation reflects the growing anxiety around modern hiring processes, where candidates often feel invisible despite years of experience and qualifications.
Others pointed out that unconventional career paths, entrepreneurship and freelance work may now unintentionally become disadvantages in highly automated hiring environments.
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