(MENAFN- The Conversation) You did everything they told you to do. You earned the credentials, spent hours on your resume and revised multiple cover letters. You worked side gigs, volunteered, learned new software and perfected your LinkedIn profile. Yet, you can't get a callback for an interview.

It's as if your application vanished into the abyss of a company database, and the“thank you for applying” emails are piling up. So-called entry-level jobs now need years of experience, and junior roles expect postgraduate degrees.

You are likely wondering what you're missing, but it's not you - it's the system. Across the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, automation now does the screening before a human ever has a look. Companies say they can't find talent, yet many have stopped training people.

On paper, the labour market looks healthy, but in practice, it feels impossible to navigate. However, there are ways through it, backed by data and success stories. Here's how to outsmart a system that seems to have forgotten the people part of hiring.

No one's 20s and 30s look the same. You might be saving for a mortgage or just struggling to pay rent. You could be swiping dating apps, or trying to understand childcare. No matter your current challenges, our Quarter Life series has articles to share in the group chat, or just to remind you that you're not alone.

Read more from Quarter Life:

• A robot stole my internship: How Gen Z's entry into the workplace is being affected by AI

• 'I have multiple side-hustles... It's exhausting': the challenges facing young freelance creatives

• Why is it so hard for young people to get jobs?

A generation struggling to find work

Whether you're in London, New York or Toronto, the pattern is the same: a generation of qualified people blocked from the job market, and companies insisting they can't find talent.

In Canada, job vacancies have dropped by half from approximately 984,000 in 2022 to roughly 505,000 by mid-2025. Unemployment has skyrocketed to 7.1 per cent, the highest in the last four years.

In the U.S., a similar story rings true. Unemployment hovers around 4.1 per cent - what economists call“full employment,” but the reality behind the statistics is less than stable. Job openings have fallen dramatically since the post-pandemic peak from 12 million in 2022 to about 8.8 million this year. That means fewer employment opportunities and more qualified candidates competing for the same positions.

There is seemingly a generation of qualified people blocked from the job market. (Karolina Grabowska/Unsplash+)

Among younger workers, unemployment stands at approximately 8.5 per cent, nearly double the national average. Over one-third of graduates are employed in jobs that don't require their degree.

Across the Atlantic, approximately 12.5 per cent of young people in the U.K. are currently not in education, employment or training - the highest rate in more than a decade. The unemployment rate holds at 4.8 per cent.

The International Labour Organization estimates 262 million young people - nearly one in four - are outside both work and education. The jobs exist, but the access and opportunity don't.

Entry-level jobs no longer exist

If it feels like getting hired is impossible, there's a reason for that. The“entry-level job” is effectively dead - the bridge between education and work has literally vanished.

In the U.S., more than 65 per cent of employers are expecting“prior experience” for entry-level roles. Meanwhile, the OECD reports that corporate spending on education and training has stagnated across almost all advanced economies.

Employers want it all - the education, the certifications and the experience - but rarely invest in developing it. As I wrote recently in Forbes:“We've built a work culture that glorifies resilience while quietly producing exhaustion.”

That pressure now starts long before people even get an interview. Candidates are somehow expected to be flexible, adaptable and endlessly qualified even before they've earned their first paycheque.

The math doesn't add up.

Automation has also made things worse. A recent Harvard Business School study found that 80 per cent of resumes are filtered out automatically before being read.

The National Bureau of Economic Research notes that time-to-hire has doubled since 2010, with most delays happening before human review. In other words, most candidates have lost before they ever enter the race.

5 ways to beat the modern job market

The new hiring landscape rewards strategy, not volume. Here are five evidence-based approaches that will increase your odds of breaking through the job search barriers:

1. Stop applying to everything, and start applying smarter.

Sending 100 resumes isn't a strategy, nor is it productive. Refocus on 10 to 15 roles that align with your skills and expertise. Customization still matters: one study found tailored applications triple response rates.

2. Build proof, not promises.

Applications that provide real-world work examples are twice as likely to receive a callback for an interview, even if they don't quite have all the competencies being asked for. You can achieve this by building a visible portfolio: think of a dashboard, a writing sample or anything that demonstrates what you can do.

The new hiring landscape rewards strategy, not volume. (Getty Images/Unsplash+)

3. Make the algorithm work for you.

Pay attention to the job descriptions, use the exact keywords, avoid columns and keep it simple - remember, AI isn't looking for how fancy your resume looks. The same Harvard Business School report showed that formatting alone disqualifies thousands of strong applicants every day.

4. Bypass AI and talk to humans.

Your network will typically save you. Sixty to 70 per cent of hires happen through networking and direct referrals. Get on people's radars by reaching out to peers and building your network.

Read more: Networking doesn't have to be a chore - here are 3 ways to make it more enjoyable and effective

5. Reframe career gaps.

Career breaks are not a risk nor an indicator of someone's performance, but that's often how employers see it. Flip the narrative by talking about the skills you gained during gaps, like a new certification or volunteering. Interestingly, non-linear career paths are the norm, not the exception, in every major economy today.

If you're an employer, the way forward is also data-driven: start reinvesting in training, invest in mentorship and rethink what you need from a new employee.

OECD data shows that organizations offering early-career development gain measurable returns in productivity and retention within two years. The solution isn't finding ready-made talent - it's creating it.

We need to get back to being human. Many organizations are demanding to“do more with less” and complaining about lack of talent, but we have to remember that talent, like a fine wine, takes time.

The bottom line

The old rules - get the degree, work hard and wait your turn - no longer apply. Today, what actually matters isn't how many jobs you apply to, but how clearly you can show your value and connect with people.

If you're job hunting in 2025, don't wait for a system to discover you. Instead, make it impossible to be ignored. Show your worth publicly, tangibly and confidently. Remember, although the screening process may be automated, hiring decisions are still made by humans.

The problem isn't a lack of talent. It's a lack of vision - from the systems that stopped looking for potential and started chasing perfection.

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