Ask HN: Is the Job Market Still Tough for You?

Been looking for a job since December 2023-- for the 1st few months of 2024 there was maybe 1 job a month. (Edited to add: this was in January/Feb, when I was only seeing 1-2 job posts a month. I am seeing more now, but being ghosted, see below)

A few more jobs now, but still havent had a single interview. I send my CV and it goes into some blackhole and I never hear anything back.

I could understand if I was being rejected after interviews, but Im not even getting to that stage. My CV isn't that bad, and previously I used to get calls from recruiters all the time. Now I'm having to chase recruiters who are ghosting me.

I am worried about how this large gap will look on my CV.

Starting to lose hope a little-- and starting to feel a little desperate.

Is it just me? Im in the UK.

14 points | by shantnutiwari 10 days ago

9 comments

  • pelagicAustral 10 days ago
    Your last submission to "Who wants to be hired?" states you are not willing to relocate. Maybe this is a determining factor in the lack of engagement from recruiters. I think the post-Covid era for software devs is seeing a lot of employers wanting assets to come back to the office.

    I wouldn't worry too much about the gap, cover that with freelance work or some side-gig...

    If you're in dire straits, pivot, look for work somewhere else you might have shun in the past... like Government...

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    • sh9 10 days ago
      CSE Graduate '23, a couple of months as an AI Intern. Then, 3 months of solar sales. I've an year gap of about the entire year from Nov excluding sales. Will this always haunt me, lost my interest there's nothing that excites like the olden days. I don't want to be learning webdev, is there anything else you'd recommend? Any recommendations would be highly appreciated.
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      • pelagicAustral 10 days ago
        Gaps will never haunt you, you know the story, if a recruiter or interviewer is interested, just give them a back story, doesn't even need to be a blatant lie. I have gaps in my CV of up to three years, I just moved to a different industry, but I was always working as a freelance and was always upgrading my knowledge. Maybe the market was not right, maybe you had personal issues, who knows... I honestly don't think this matters, the only way to screw up the answer to the gap question is with something like "Yeah, I did a 3 stretch for drugs, but it's all good now".

        About webdev... I don't know, I've been crunching code for a decade now and I'm still not tired, I have done other stuff like CMS implementation, native windows desktop apps, office plugins, APIs, console abstractions... whatever, I understand this is not necessarily something you might want to do, but tell you want, maybe you need a break from the industry anyway... When I had my 3 year gap I went to work for Immigration and then I came up with the idea for a system that I then developed and sold to them. Sometimes the gap is exactly what you need to come back with fresh ideas.

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        • muzani 9 days ago
          I have a ton of freelancing in my resume, which many people admitted look like gaps. Which is why I also have a heavy portfolio that matches up with the number of years.

          I think if you just work on enough stuff, you can just slap "freelancer" over all those gaps. Freelancing maybe a gap too - there are many times when you're just doing sales or ops work and no coding.

    • shantnutiwari 9 days ago
      Thanks. I put a no there as I live in Cambridge, and (historically) 80% of jobs I've seen are always in the Cambridge/London area.

      But maybe I will put relocation as Yes now; not sure how it will help, I would expect other countries to have the same issues?

  • PrimaryAlibi 10 days ago
    You only send 1 application per month? I've read it's normal to send over 60 applications before you get a job. Are you sure there are no more websites you can use to look for more job ads? I also read that more than 70% of job hires happen on LinkedIn.
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    • muzani 9 days ago
      I'd have to do a few a day. Especially if they're cold, via job sites and such.

      I think the LinkedIn stats match up with my experience too -- if you exclude referrals. I think 90%+ of our hires were via referral. The rest were mostly LinkedIn.

    • potta_coffee 9 days ago
      In 2017 I put in 200 applications to get a single job in the span of about 2 months.
  • jackbauer24 8 days ago
    I completely empathize with your situation. It can indeed be frustrating when you're on a job hunt and going through what you're experiencing. But don't lose hope. You're not alone in this. The pandemic has had a profound impact on job markets globally, and many people are looking for new opportunities.

    Firstly, I suggest revisiting your CV. Perhaps you could get a professional resume consultant or a trusted friend to take a look at it. They might provide some valuable feedback. Also, try tailoring your cover letters and CVs to match the requirements of each job. This could potentially increase your success rate.

    Secondly, try broadening your job search channels. In addition to traditional job websites, consider participating in industry-related online events or forums. This could not only expand your network but also possibly uncover some hidden job opportunities.

    Lastly, regarding your job gap, you can explain in interviews that it was due to the pandemic. I believe most employers would understand. Meanwhile, you could use this time to upskill or do some volunteer work, so your CV won't look empty.

    Remember, everyone faces setbacks on their job-seeking journey. The key is to maintain a positive attitude and keep learning and improving. Good luck!

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    • meiraleal 8 days ago
      Such a clear LLM copy/paste reply upvoted to the top is weird, HN usually catch it fast
  • giantg2 8 days ago
    In the US. Not actively looking. Passive searches seem to be returning fewer results and lower quality positions. Fewer recruiters reaching out too. But I'm also garbage.
  • idontwantthis 8 days ago
    I turned on “casually looking for work” or whatever it’s called on Linkedin just because I was curious. I got 4 recruiter messages in a week. Seems like things are fine.
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    • bschmidt1 7 days ago
      How many jobs did you get
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      • idontwantthis 7 days ago
        None because I don’t need one. Just giving my non gloomy perspective.
  • bschmidt1 7 days ago
    It's tough in SF. I've been surviving as a contractor for WeWork type solo founders with gaps between contracts. My wife and I started a local business with fairly low overhead last year which has kept me far busier than anything happening in tech, and there's more promise there than in anything I'm doing with software.

    Maybe in 2025 with the next president, fresh money, etc.

  • meiraleal 9 days ago
    I don't know if the job market is tough (yet). My contract ended last month but I decided to take one month of vacation before thinking about the next move. Then now after a month I decided to take a sabbatical year to shift my focus to AI/ML.

    Maybe in a year the market will be better, maybe I will be better for the market.

  • JSDevOps 9 days ago
    Look over on Reddit at r/ContractorUK it seems no one is getting any work.
  • shams93 10 days ago
    Absolutely!
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    • shams93 10 days ago
      As far as I can tell the Los Angeles economy is utterly ruined. Down here things changed where the only real jobs require top secret security clearance and prior military service. All the things like Uber Eats have waiting lists you cannot just jump into the gig economy anymore. I have an MFA in writing but California made freelancing illegal for writers. They have me so destitute its impossible for me to leave Los Angeles.
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      • sydbarrett74 9 days ago
        Sorry to hear. :(

        I hope things get better for you ASAP.