A Gen Xer went from a six-figure salary to considering bankruptcy after 1,000 unsuccessful job applications — 'It's like playing the lottery'

• Sean Tetpon, 55, has applied for over 1,000 jobs in the past year without success.
• Tetpon, a former communications manager, was laid off in 2019 and again in 2023.

Sean Tetpon, 55, held six-figure positions for years as a communications manager for major companies. But, after applying for over 1,000 jobs over the last year, he and his wife have had to cut every expense possible — and are considering bankruptcy.

Tetpon was financially stable for most of his adult life, working at various large companies, though he was laid off in 2019. In between job applications, he drove for Lyft and landed a job in 2021. However, he was laid off last September and hasn't landed anything since.

"When the job reports come out, and they paint this rosy picture, it's not reflecting what's happening in the white-collar job market over the past year," Tetpon said. "There continue to be layoffs in corporate America, and as a result, I'm seeing, for the roles that I apply for, many highly qualified candidates out there all competing for a finite number of jobs."

Tetpon suspects his age and his industry's intense competition have impacted his ability to land a job. Still, he hasn't given up hope and is staying positive in his job search.

"At first, it was disheartening because, like everyone else, I need employment to take care of my family and to pay my bills, but to run into over 1,000 people applying for the same job, I get nervous when there are 100 applicants for the same job," Tetpon said. "But I applied for them anyway because you never know. It's like playing the lottery."

Enduring layoffs

Tetpon was the first in his family to get a four-year degree, graduating from the University of Idaho with a bachelor's in public communications.

While in college, he got an internship at IBM, which he parlayed into a full-time role and an over 15-year career. He became a global communications manager, which paid him six figures. He then bounced to a few other companies in similar positions.

Despite a high salary, he said he struggled financially for a few years, as one of his five children had a major heart defect, leading to "steep medical bills."

Tetpon first experienced unemployment from 2019 to 2021, with his first layoff coming shortly before many companies paused hiring during the pandemic. To keep money coming in, he worked as an Uber and Lyft driver and freelanced for corporate clients between "cumbersome" applications.

Tetpon secured a job in 2021, then switched to another position the following year. However, once again, he was unexpectedly laid off in September 2023. He was given a basic severance package, which included a free option to work with a job placement agency, which helped him improve his résumé and interview strategies.

"Each layoff, it's been a little harder to bounce back because the job market started constricting again right around the time I was laid off," Tetpon said.

Tetpon has submitted more than 1,000 job applications since that layoff. He estimates that it takes almost an hour to apply for a job.

"Job seeking initially has become a full-time job again — seven, eight hours a day applying for roles," Tetpon said. "This came back to bite me mentally because it's such a draining process."

Of these applications, he's had nearly 30 interviews, and he made it to the final round for three positions. He said he's tried tailoring his résumé and cover letter to each position and emphasized characteristics of his portfolio that make him stand out.

Between job applications, Tetpon drives five days a week for Lyft, earning about $3,000 a week. He said he values the flexibility of setting his own hours to prioritize interviews and applications. He's looking to get back into retail work, even at minimum wage, in positions he enjoys, such as working at a record store.

The layoff has put his family's financial situation in jeopardy. To make ends meet, he moved into his mother-in-law's home. He and his wife, a full-time medical technology student with little income, axed many subscriptions, bought the cheapest groceries for about $130 a week, and cut unnecessary spending. Tetpon still has student and credit debt, and he's eyed bankruptcy as an option. He said he has just 10% of what he'd originally saved left in his 401(k), and he fears he may have to work for the rest of his life.

"It's scary because I've been preparing for retirement for a long time, but now that I've basically wiped out savings because of my layoff, I'm now wondering if I will be able to retire," Tetpon said.

Why he hasn't secured a job

Tetpon said there are three reasons he suspects he hasn't landed a job yet.

The first is how his field of corporate communication is highly competitive and prone to layoffs. He said even for smaller companies offering much less than what he earned, hundreds of people would apply, and he would be lucky to land an interview. He said he's had little luck applying for in-person roles in metro Atlanta, and he's seen fewer remote opportunities.

Screenshots shared with BI reveal Tetpon applied for positions receiving nearly 4,000 applications just on LinkedIn, not counting people who applied directly.

Tetpon said his second reason is that many companies are nervous about the economy and the upcoming election and are very selective about hiring decisions. He suspects employers are looking for the perfect candidate who fits every aspect of the job description instead of someone with 80% of the skills but with drive.

Part of this, he suspects, derives from ageism. While he hasn't been able to prove it in his case, he believes for some roles, companies will pass over his application because they want to hire younger talent.

"A lot of companies look at somebody like me with 25 years of experience in the six-figure range, and they have to weigh that against somebody much younger, maybe even recently out of college, who could come in at a much lower range," Tetpon said.

Tetpon's third reason is the mental struggle of applying to positions daily. Recently, he's questioned whether he's networking enough, applying to the right roles, or spending enough time on applications, which sometimes clouds his efforts.

Still, he said he's seen employment struggles across the age spectrum. Some of his children are struggling to find their first role, and he's seen an uptick in LinkedIn posts from people of all ages looking for work.

Tetpon said he learned to customize resumes for each position by including keywords in job descriptions so that applications don't immediately get rejected. He's also become more aggressive about networking, reaching out to his past colleagues and having them send open roles or issue referrals.

Tetpon added that taking mental health breaks is key to the job hunt, as job seekers are already "dealing with the psychology of losing a job and sense of purpose." He believes he will land somewhere soon, noting his experience speaks for itself.

"I want to give job seekers some hope based on what I've learned over the past year because while it is tough out there, we can't give up, and I certainly haven't given up," Tetpon said. "Eventually, the pendulum will swing, and they need to be ready to capitalize on that."

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