The ideal mission of the millennial generation is to go to high school, graduate, go to college, graduate again and get a job. The catch is, in today’s world, everything has been taken over by technology.

It is hard for this generation to be confident when applying for jobs now that the system has gone from real people to computers making the final decisions on who and who not to hire.

“Lots of employers now rely on computerized systems that scan resumes for particular terms as an initial step in, [drastically] narrowing down which candidates they will consider,” Rob Walker from the New York Times stated.

“Resume optimization” is the new term tossed in job seekers’ lap. Resumes must be “optimized” per each job description. Walker insists resumes cannot disregard the already set standard resume structure including a summary, skills and employment history. Instead of crafting resumes to their personality, recent graduates have to craft their resumes for computer systems.

In order to get an interview, one has to find that perfect word and hope that it matches up with a code within a piece of technology.

All of the work pieced together on the rest of the resume is instantly tossed aside. Everything that one has worked for for their whole life is gone in a click of a button. There is no way to prove what could really be brought to the position.

According to InterviewSuccessForumla.com, 50 percent of applicants are removed through software programs. The average number of hopefuls per job is 118, while only 20 percent get an interview.

Not only do job seekers need to perfect their resumes to match “an ideal word,” they need to have a perfect social presence. Originally, this generation was trapped in a world of extreme and lucky networking. There was a time when the only way to get a job was based on “who you knew.” Networking is not dead, if anything, it has grown. With social media such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, networking reaches audiences all over the world.

According to Daily Mail, LinkedIn now allows those as young as 13 years old to begin career networking. It is hard getting a job because the so-called advances of technology for the employer are only making more obstacles for the candidate.

A millennial fights to get through college, to get the highest GPA and to be involved in extra curriculur activities because society says that is what an employer wants.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and are not representative of The Slate or its staff as a whole

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