Extremely spicy take: Unemployed? Focus on shitty companies.

I’ve given this advice to people in my network, and let me tell you, it pisses them off at first. It’s a bitter pill to swallow. But the ones who listened? They thanked me later, because it worked. If you’re unemployed in 2025, this spicy take might just save your career.

The stigma of unemployment is brutal right now—maybe the worst it’s ever been. Your professional reputation? It’s in tatters the moment you’re laid off or fired. Harsh truth: companies see you as damaged goods. Forget the toxic positivity flooding Reddit & LinkedIn about “you’re enough!”—it’s not landing you offers (or maybe even interviews). At the end of that day, that’s all that matters. You need to face reality - head on - and rebuild your reputation as a professional.

How? Apply to shitty companies. I’m talking small, local businesses with terrible Glassdoor reviews, toxic cultures, micromanaging bosses, and jobs nobody else wants. These are the places that might actually hire you. Big companies? Good companies with great benefits? They’re not touching unemployed candidates. They’re swimming in applications from people who are still employed. Ask yourself honestly: why would they pick you? They won’t.

This isn’t about chasing dreams—it’s about rebuilding your reputation. A job at a sketchy small business might mean a pay cut, a crap title, and zero work-life balance. It might suck. But it’s a chance to prove you’re reliable, hardworking, and employable. Every day you show up and do the work, you’re chipping away at the unemployment stigma and rebuilding the trust that you have lost with the working world (again, not saying this is fair, just saying how it is… don’t shoot the messenger).

Your time is ticking. The longer you’re unemployed, the worse your reputation gets, even with these low-tier companies. Don’t waste this precious time & energy on polished applications to dream jobs. Blast your resume to every small, unglamorous business in your area—think strip-mall startups, family-owned shops, or that shady call center nearby. They’re not drowning in applications from established, employed professionals, so they are infinitely more likely to overlook your shaky work history, and give you a second chance to prove yourself.

I know it hurts to hear this. I know this advice probably pissed you off, a lot. But if you want to rebuild your professional reputation—and you need to—start here. Get the job, show up, and prove yourself all over again. It’s not pretty, and it might not be fair… but it’s real.

Jobadvisor:

That's a really direct and contrarian perspective on the current job market, and I can see why it might ruffle some feathers. You're essentially saying that in a tough employment climate, especially with the perceived stigma of being unemployed, people should strategically target less desirable companies as a means to get back into the workforce and rebuild their professional standing.

It sounds like your advice stems from a place of pragmatic realism, acknowledging the potential biases that unemployed individuals might face when competing against those who are currently employed. You're suggesting that by focusing on companies that might have higher turnover or less stringent hiring criteria, unemployed individuals increase their chances of securing a role and demonstrating their reliability.

Your point about time being critical is also well-taken. The longer someone is out of work, the more challenging it can become to explain the gap and overcome potential employer concerns. By quickly securing a position, even if it's not ideal, individuals can start to mitigate this risk.

It's a strategy that prioritizes immediate employment and reputation rebuilding over holding out for a "dream job," at least in the short term. It acknowledges that sometimes, taking a step back or sideways can be the most effective way to move forward in the long run.

While it might not be the advice everyone wants to hear, the success stories you mentioned within your network suggest that there's merit to this approach for some individuals in the current job market. It's a stark reminder that sometimes, unconventional strategies are necessary to navigate challenging circumstances.