How's the Job Search Going?

About

How's the Job Search Going? is a series of memes in which a screenshot of a YouTube video or other arguably time-wasting thing is shown underneath an iMessage notification from a person labeled "Dad" or "Mom," asking, "How's the job search going?" the implication being that the recipient of the text is not very dedicated to finding a job. The format first appeared as early as August 2020 on Reddit and garnered viral spread over the following years on sites like X and Instagram.

Origin

On August 3rd, 2020, Redditor u/LeCorny posted a meme to /r/destiny2^[1] consisting of a screenshot of the uploader watching a Destiny 2 related YouTube video with an iMessage notification from their mom displayed on top of the screen reading, "How's the job search?" The post garnered over 1,100 upvotes in four years.

Spread

The format spread over the following years. On December 13th, 2020, a version of the meme was posted to /r/recruitinghell^[2] in which the same iMessage notification is displayed over a Jimmy Neutron-related video, garnering over 2,500 upvotes in four years.

On August 17th, 2021, X^[3] user @Twilight posted a version of the meme in which a similar iMessage notification, this time from their dad, is displayed over the "where the hell have you been, loca" scene from Twilight: New Moon, garnering over 7,400 likes in three years.

On the same day, a version of the meme was posted to /r/PhilosophyMemes^[4] that garnered over 3,900 upvotes in the same span of time.

On October 1st, 2024, Instagram^[5] user wholesomesmemes posted a version of the meme in which the message is displayed over a video of someone massaging a Snoopy doll, garnering over 24,000 likes in a month. On October 29th, Instagram^[6] user shitheadsteve posted a version of the meme referencing the Costco Guys' appearance on Fallon, garnering over 41,000 likes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References