Let’s face it, most of us need to find a job after university. This is my last semester, and after it, I’ll have a degree in International Studies. My degree is a double-edged sword: on one side, I’m a generalist, which gives me a wide range of job opportunities; on the other, it lacks focus. I bring up this topic because I’ve recently polished my CV and started looking for job listings on LinkedIn. I’ve realized how deeply the digital world is intertwined with the job market, but there’s a twist at the end of this blog.
Here are some statistics given by Leiden University that outline what kind of jobs people with International Studies do:
The Digital CV:
Creating my CV was a funny exercise that made me realize the informal and implicit rules that need to be followed when writing one. One very important thing is to apparently leave as little white space as possible, according to my Computer Science major friend Michelle. Michelle gave me many other tips, such as using action words to describe tasks, including relevant projects from my studies, and removing my profile section to “let your experience speak for itself.” I’m reducing myself to my “useful” traits, which is an interesting way to see yourself.
I think as you advance further in life, you start seeing yourself more through this lens of “usefulness,” “job,” or “employment.” It’s always funny to talk to my brother, who works in a trade; one of his dominant ways of seeing me and others is in terms of job prospects.
A small story about my brother: when he was still doing his master’s in financial engineering, he would apply to more than fifty jobs within just two or three months, with most of them never responding. I don’t know how it used to be back in the day, but digital technology has made it possible to apply to hundreds of jobs all around the world.
LinkedIn and Ghost Jobs:
LinkedIn has more than 1 billion users in 2025, and is still consistently growing at a fast rate. Never before were so many job seekers on one centralised platform. One worrying thing on LinkedIn is the number of fake jobs, or “ghost jobs,” which are job postings that employers do not intend to fill. They do this for two main reasons: first, to see what kind of talent they could possibly attract, and second, to put pressure on current employees by making them fear being replaced.
An American tech worker name Eric Thompson got laid off and discovered the rampant number of ghost jobs online. Now, he is trying to get legislation passed they call it “Truth in Job Advertising and Accountability Act” (TJAAA), to make this practice illegal.
In Europe, on the 7th of June 2026, EU countries need to sign these conditions into their national law:
- Disclose starting salary or range in Job ads
- Bans asking salary history
- Strengthen gender-pay-equity rules.
Though this does not address ghost jobs in Europe, and maybe it should be passed.
The Twist
Despite all the digital infrastructure, some companies still require a physical application. The internship my brother send on LinkedIn requires my CV and cover letter be sent to Washington DC per mail. Didn’t expect that!
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