Job hunting - panicking.

[Yasai]

I severely underestimated this job market.

Sending 100’s of applications and they hardly even get viewed on LinkedIn. 2 months and nothing. I’ve had a few interviews but nothing to rave about and it seems people are right when they talk about ‘ghosting’. Had an interview 3 weeks ago, the lady was keen as mustard and said she’d be in touch to schedule a second interview and nothing.

i have very good experience in global markets in HR. I was a bit cocky in thinking this would be easy. I took voluntary redundancy last summer and have done a bit of freelance but mainly just enjoyed time with the kids. A luxury I am paying for now.

absolutely panick stricken if I’m honest. So anxious about a possible market crash and dwindling jobs. Awake at all hours full of worry which is not like me. I have considerable outgoings. Anyone else in the same boat?

Finding a job is something that requires a lot of patience and time. Last year, I spent almost two months looking for a job. I was so exhausted that I felt very stressed. Later, I happened to find a relatively good job near where I live. I want to say that although it is not easy to find a job, it takes time and patience.

It's a hellscape out there. Many, maybe most "jobs" listed are ghost jobs. You have to use your network - it's personal connections only these days.

Persevere. You'll find something good. It's tough out there - it's not you. It sounds like you have a good CV, a job is a matter of time. Don't panic 💙

You need to put your energies into building something of your own.

Job market isn't going to improve in the corporate or tech sector

Check out The Society of Alternative Entrepreneurs

What they say and do makes a lot of sense Vs cycling through redundancies and layoffs and long periods of being financially inactive

I’ve been looking for a year OP, it really is brutal. My workplace is toxic.

There is no way I’d be using LinkedIn to apply for roles for a start. As global HR you must know how poorly that channel performs in terms of conversion.

Good luck.

LinkedIn is a perfectly good place to look for jobs. I appreciate there may be some fake stuff on there but if you look into each role properly, you'll find the legitimate ones. Many big corporations, including the big public sector organisations advertise on there.

One think to note about LinkedIn is not to worry about huge numbers of applicants they record. Anyone who clicks through is recorded as an applicant but most don't actually apply.

As you were previously in HR think back to the number of job applicants you may have not responded to, ghosted, ignored or left hanging on.

Lots of people do advertise on there but as you’ve said, lots of jobs are fake and lots go through HR/AI based CV screening due to volumes so the chances of it getting seen by a human is low.

It’s one channel of many OP should be using.

Better advice would also be building a LinkedIn profile as half will be excluded if skills etc. aren’t up to date.

Personally, at the level of global HR professional I’d be using a dedicated recruiter who will give you feedback on your CV, how you stack against roles available and other candidates.

I feel you, OP! I was made redundant on maternity leave a year ago which left me up shit creek in terms of being able to properly apply for stuff with a baby round my neck. So I threw myself into freelance and a year ago that was fine, but everything has dried up.

I’ve just started looking – I’ve waltzed into jobs my whole life with not much more than a basic CV and a banging cover letter but the current market is a whole different ballgame. Plus my old industry is more or less kaput so I’m having to transfer skills and I want flexible, part-time work which means the third sector and application forms, “demonstrate how you meet the person spec” cover letters, hoops to jump through. Each application takes hours to tailor, it’s exhausting – then you hear nothing.

I ignore applicant data on LinkedIn though – it just counts clicks and I’ve often clicked “apply” on something to get the full picture then been put off by what I’ve seen: ridiculous application processes for low-salary work, job ads that say hybrid remote but once you click through they actually mean four days in the office and one at home, bullshit benefits like “free fruit in the office on Wednesdays” or “half day off on your birthday”. So I nope out but LinkedIn will still count me in that massive “300 people have applied” statistic. More like “300 people have gone ‘You want me to be social media manager, comms officer, copywriter, digital lead and admin for £23,000 and no remote working, but you offer a variety of herbal teas in the staff room to hydrate your shitty no work-life balance 40-hour week? Fuck off’”.