To think we need a complete re-education on how to job hunt in this market?

[PoisedBlueViper]

The spray and pray method isn’t working. Job descriptions are opaque, online applications are faceless and many hiring panels now expect you to practically teach the course just to get shortlisted. When the goalposts have moved, shouldn’t the advice shift too?

Agree! Trying to find a job is soul-destroying at the moment. What do you think the advice should be though? I feel clueless!

Agreed.

My dh has applied for over 160 in the past 6 months and has had 4 interviews.

I highly suspect ageism is playing a massive part in his repeated rejections too.

He's now got a temporary job in something completely different and is still applying for jobs in his field but its really not been easy at all.

Ex-HR here and I agree. I've read that AI is being used to sift out applications that don't include the required words.
So my advice would be to:

• be the first to apply;
• apply to smaller companies that are less likely to use AI;
• use AI to apply; or
• network with real people.