After 500 applications and 2 years of rejection, woman lands a job after posting a 'silly meme'
A Chicago woman applied to 500 jobs over 2 years with no success. Then, a “silly meme” she posted on Facebook went viral and finally got her a job offer.
After nearly 800 days of rejections, endless applications, and a job hunt that spanned two years, a 29-year-old woman from Chicago finally landed a role, all because of a meme she jokingly posted on Facebook.
Speaking to Business Insider, Allie Latic, who graduated with a master’s degree in library and information science in May 2023, shared that she had applied to more than 500 jobs by the time she received her first official offer in July 2025. Despite following every piece of conventional advice - networking, tailoring resumes, optimising for ATS software and writing customised cover letters - she barely heard back.
“There were times I'd feel so defeated that I'd apply to any job that I thought I had the skills for and that I could do, morally and ethically, without crying myself to sleep,” she told Business Insider, recalling months spent updating spreadsheets, attending interviews, completing unpaid exercises and receiving rejection emails.
One organisation she admired even made her sit through three interview rounds and two assignments that took eight hours, only to send a four-sentence automated rejection, Latic shared.
She said that while she was able to rely on her husband’s income during the long job search, the emotional toll of constant rejection weighed heavily. “People who haven't experienced the recent job market assume you must not be doing X, Y, and Z, because, if you were, you'd have a job already. But I was doing those things. It starts to get at your ego,” she said.
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How a meme changed everything
Latic said that the turning point came in her life after her wedding break, when she decided to shake up her approach. As a joke, she said that she created a humorous Canva graphic featuring a photo of herself next to a giant tomato sculpture, her “big three” astrology signs, a dog picture “for tax,” and a plea that read, “Plz Hire Me”. Initially meant as satire, she said that she posted it in a large women’s Facebook group in Chicago.
Within hours, the post exploded. “There were over 200 reactions on it and multiple comments. A number of hiring managers reached out to me directly, and I got 25 job leads across a wide range of fields,” she said, adding, “It was a very fast reversal of the situation.”
Latic said one of them was the owner of a boudoir photography studio, who was drawn to the authenticity and personality in her quirky meme. Then, by July 2025, Latic became the studio’s part-time manager, overseeing client experiences, writing blogs, handling sales and supporting administrative work - a role she says is the healthiest work environment she has ever had. Even though it’s unrelated to library science, she said that she finds it aligned with her skills in communication, empathy and information management.
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Her advice for other job seekers
She told the outlet that her unexpected success has even inspired others to create their own “resume memes”.
“We need to update job-hunting advice for Gen Z,” she said. “Gen Z really resonates with authenticity — things that aren't super polished and are off the cuff. And we live in an attention economy. What works for us is being very direct and earnest about our situation, because people want to help,” she said.
“For those stuck in a really long job hunt, do something silly! Do something artistic, something that's going to make people stop scrolling and empathise with you,” she added.
