I've applied for nearly 200 jobs and can't get hired. I always thought I could fall back on a 'bridge job' stocking shelves — I was wrong.

"Bridge jobs" are in-person roles in the service industry, many of which pay very low wages.

simonkr/Getty, Tyler Le/BI

• Giovanna Ventola was laid off for the third time in three years in November 2023.
• After struggling to find another corporate job, she tried to land a "bridge job" in the meantime.
• She always thought she could fall back on a bridge job but has been met with rejection or silence.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Giovanna Ventola, a 34-year-old job seeker in South Carolina. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was laid off three times in three years in the real-estate industry, most recently in November 2023.

Since then, I've applied to around 180 corporate jobs and have only gotten six interviews, none of which have led to getting hired.

I've also applied for 18 "bridge jobs" — in-person roles in the service industry, many of which pay minimum wage or very low wages. I went through two rounds of interviews for one before being rejected for what felt like an arbitrary reason.

Failing to land a bridge job completely changed my outlook on the job market. I knew it would be difficult to land a high-paying corporate job with benefits, a 401(k) plan, and stock options, but not being able to get a job pouring coffee or stocking shelves has made me lose faith.

I've held service industry jobs before

I started my career as a professional dancer in Chicago. To supplement my income, I also worked as a personal trainer, bartender, server, dance teacher, and babysitter.

I got into real estate after one of my personal training clients recommended that I interview for an open role at the real estate development firm he worked for.

I got hired and became the executive assistant to the CEO. I learned the business over the course of the first year, got my broker's license, and became a leasing manager. I worked there for almost five years.

After 2 layoffs, the third came after only 90 days on the job

In October 2019, I left the firm for a better opportunity with a bigger developer. I thought this would be my career path for at least 10 years, but when COVID-19 hit, my job switched from growing the brand to just surviving.

I was only there for a year before getting laid off in October 2020. That was the first time I'd ever been let go.

I was unemployed for seven months before joining WeWork as a leasing manager. I worked for WeWork for two years, but in March 2023, I was laid off again.

Four months later, I got a new job but was only there for around 90 days before they laid me off in November 2023.

I've since applied for over 180 corporate jobs

I applied to 11 jobs in December, 30 in January, around 60 in both February and March, and 20 in April.

I applied for jobs I was qualified for in Chicago and elsewhere and to any and all types of roles — in-person, remote, and hybrid. I even applied for jobs I'm overqualified for, with much lower salaries than I wanted.

I was networking and doing everything you're "supposed" to do, but I couldn't get any traction on anything.

I moved on to applying for bridge jobs

In March, I started looking for bridge jobs. I applied to about 18 bridge jobs, like barista, grocery-store shelf stocker, and store manager. I heard nothing back besides some auto-rejections.

Many of these bridge jobs also required cover letters. I explained that I'd lost my corporate job and wanted to change industries. I talked about wanting to learn something new from the bottom and why I was interested in the job. I still got zero responses.

I started wondering, are they not hiring me because my résumé is too corporate? Bridge jobs may not want to hire people they think will leave. I understand that, but I don't know what they can expect if they pay minimum wage.

I moved back in with my parents

In April, I had to leave my life in Chicago and move back in with my parents in South Carolina.

I applied for a guest itinerary designer role at a luxury resort down the street. There were a lot of requirements, but it paid $18 an hour plus potential commission, and I thought it'd be a great bridge job.

I connected with the interviewer and landed a second interview, which also went great. I was excited for the third interview, sent my availability, and promptly stopped hearing back.

After multiple follow-up emails and calls, I was told they couldn't hire me because I lived too close to the business, and they didn't want to hire anyone living in the neighborhood. I still don't understand why that's their policy.

Being rejected from minimum wage bridge jobs makes me feel even worse than my other job rejections

I'm pretty strong and confident, and I feel very lucky to have an amazing, supportive network of people. Yet, being unemployed has caused me to feel a lot of self-doubt, insecurity, and isolation.

I got my first bartending job years ago because I was watching a football game at a dive bar and mentioned to the manager that I needed a job. It was slammed, and he said, "Yeah, come in on Monday." Now, I have to answer 10 questions about my personality and tell the hiring manager something fun about myself in 120 characters, and I still don't hear back.

One of my friends recommended I share my experience on TikTok. I quickly realized that my For You page was all other people who had been laid off.

When I saw how many people were in the same boat, I started a Slack networking community that now has over 1,500 members. The people who have joined are so smart — there are molecular biologists and people with PhDs. If even they can't get a job, I'm screwed.

It feels like I've gone backward

It feels like everything I've learned and the knowledge I've gained from my amazing mentors is obsolete because nobody will give me a chance.

I'm 34. I've built a career, am educated and smart, and have accomplished many things.

I don't want to work somewhere for minimum wage — I've scrambled and worked five jobs before, and now it feels like I'm taking a hundred steps backward to when I was 22. I don't want to work at a bar until 4 a.m. anymore.

Freelance work is tiding me over

I started an hourly freelance social media job for a construction company, which I heard about through a friend. I'd be willing to take on a second job, but what happened to being able to have one stable job with benefits?

I'm still applying for jobs. I've never worked this hard trying to figure out what to do. I feel like I'll never stop looking for jobs because I'm afraid that any job I get won't last. I'll never approach the job market the same again.

If you have struggled to find a bridge job and want to share your story, email Jane Zhang at janezhang@businessinsider.com.

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