The truth is, the job market has been struggling this year. Unemployment rose to 4.3% in August, which is the highest we’ve seen since 2021. With only 22,000 jobs being added, this can spell disaster for so many people that can’t find reasonable work. Now, a woman in Tennessee is speaking up about the overwhelming state of the job market. Furthermore, she shows us that not all jobs available on listings are actually what they say they are.
Shel (@iwishbirdswerereal on TikTok) shared a video titled, “Proof that the job market is terrible and companies are scamming.” She shares some job listings she actually stumbled across and considered applying to. However, when she read the descriptions on the jobs, she discovered that they didn’t quite add up. The fact that some companies are outright scamming in their advertisements adds to the growing problem that people can’t find work.
Shel explains she found a job that was listed one hour ago and she was excited to be the first to apply. The job listing outright stated that it was an internship that would be paying $16 an hour. However, Shel found that this wasn’t true when she went on to read the description. The job wanted workers to start out on a VOLUNTARY basis and would not be paying you initially. In May 2026, it would then turn into a paid position. So, you would be working there for almost a year without any pay!
Shel found another listing for a position that was a marketing and sales internship at a popular store. The description, though, told another story. You wouldn’t actually be doing any marketing. Instead, you would help customers in the fitting rooms, greet guests, help them check out their purchases, and more. Shel stated, “Hmm, that sounds like a customer service job.” Why was it advertised this way? Take a look at some listings on Indeed and you, too, will come across so many with blatant lies in their descriptions. They might initially entice you but you probably won’t be applying to the job you thought you were.
Another job that Shel stumbles across says right off that bat that it’s a paid position. However, what they aren’t upfront about is that you’re only being paid commission. This is a really popular one that many job hunters will come across on a daily basis. As Shel says at the end of her video, “Do not post a job listing if you cannot afford to pay workers.” But that’s just it – so many of these greedy companies don’t want to.
Commenters were not overly astonished, as so many job hunters have been through this themselves. One commented, “Working 9 months without pay is like INSANE.” Another said they “stay reporting jobs with even the SLIGHTEST mistakes/lies.” They went on to say, “Idc anymore lol it’s fun at this point.” There’s just so many of them that you can’t keep up. It’s important to take a close look to see what you’re actually getting into. The description, as we’ve found, may not be as revealing as you expected.
