Millennial posts tearful video after dream job rejection—then came response
A millennial job seeker has struck a chord online after sharing an emotional video detailing her heartbreak following yet another job rejection.
Amanda Swetish (@unemployedamanda), 32, a former senior operations analyst from Seattle, Washington, has been job hunting for more than two years. Her latest TikTok clip, in which she opens up about being passed over after a second-round interview, has gone viral—garnering more than 115,000 views and sparking widespread discussion.
"I have been laid off and applying for jobs for over two years and was at rock bottom. At that point, I had almost entirely given up on applying for jobs because I couldn't face any more rejection," Swetish told Newsweek. "Along with all the government layoffs in the U.S. mixed with the horrible job market, I didn't have any hope in finding a new job."
The unemployment rate rose to 4.2 percent in March 2025, the highest level since November.
In her video, Swetish, visibly holding back tears, says she had just heard from the recruiter that the hiring manager had decided to pass on her.
"I just don't understand, like, what is wrong with me? Why can't I get a job? Nothing I do ever works," Swetish said in the video.
She shared that the rejection was particularly difficult because the recruiter had initially reached out to her via TikTok, leading her to believe this opportunity was special. "Then, very quickly, there was a snowball effect where I thought all the stars were aligning," she said.
The company was in her dream industry, Swetish told Newsweek, and its values strongly resonated with her own. To add to the excitement, she also had a personal connection to someone who worked directly with the hiring manager.
"My hopes were at an all-time high, only to be completely crushed when I was so quickly rejected," she said.
Swetish was laid off from her job on December 1, 2022, due to a reduction in force—something she said was not based on performance.
"At the time I was very upset and angry at my company for doing this to me and other fellow employees. And it also, being right before the holidays, it felt like a cruel and heartless decision," she said. "But I also felt like everything was going to be OK. I wasn't that worried about finding a new job."
What followed was a long and emotionally draining period that Swetish describes as the most difficult of her life. "
"At the one-year mark of being laid off, I literally couldn't believe it had been an entire year and knew it was just going to get even harder to find a new job as the gap on my resume grew larger," Swetish said.
Financially, she has been relying on government assistance, and since October 2023, she has lived in a low-income apartment complex. She now works five part-time jobs—including as a house manager, pilates studio front-desk associate, freelance consultant, property manager, and child chauffeur—bringing in around $40,000 per year.
Since the recent rejection, Swetish said she has been feeling a bit more grounded and is trying to realign her focus onto things within her control.
Reactions to her video have been mixed. Some criticized her openness,
"As a former HR Executive, get off social media when talking about your job search. You are over sharing … good luck," posted one user.
"I would never hire someone who's crying about it on the internet," wrote another.
Others offered support or even potential job leads. "Recruiter here! What do you do? Let's connect!" added Eileen.
"Ignore these comments. Your feelings are valid and it's a tough job market. You will find something," commented Kobel.
"As a business owner, I would hire someone who posted a video that was this passionate & hopeful. Your fit is out there," posted Rebecca.
Many viewers empathized deeply with her struggle. "I feel this so much. 21 months, 2500 applications … they had me do 8 rounds of interviews," wrote Jessica.
"Never get emotionally attached to the opportunity … Never stop never give up," commented Albert Babani.
"My husband applied for jobs for over a year and got nothing! Then one day it just happened. He was this company's pink unicorn! Keep your head up, you're someone's pink unicorn," added Gina.
Despite the hardship, Swetish said the online support has been uplifting.
"Overall, the social-media reaction has been amazing and heart warming," she added. "I started posting on TikTok because I felt so alone in my job-hunting journey and felt like I had no one to relate to or talk to about it. But, through social media, I have found such a large community that relates to my content and are going through similar situations and makes me feel less alone."