What's the hardest part of job hunting right now, honestly?

[khungho]

Job hunting at the moment and finding it harder than expected — applications seem to vanish without a reply. For those who've been through it recently, what was genuinely the worst part for you? The CV side, knowing where to apply, interviews, or just keeping your head together through the grind? And did anything actually help? Could use the collective MN wisdom.

I am in the same place, previously I applied for a few roles and had interviews and got the job,
I've applied for countless jobs since Feb, shortlisted for 2. Final 2 for one of them, unsuccessful,

jobs where a year or two ago I would definitely have had a call and got my foot on the first level of the process My application is being ghosted now,

hardest part for me is the fact there seems to be a million applications per role and mine isn’t cutting through

I’ve tried it all- using AI, not using AI…

my background is I am senior leadership level in a corporate company, history with large national name organisations in senior management, I have additional qualifications and tonnes of experience, my applications and cvs are tailored to the JD and person spec, I think AI bots are blocking applications 😅

It’s truly terrible. Honestly, the only thing that got me my latest contract (I’m a freelance consultant/contractor and the market there is no better) is already knowing the founder of the company who ended up asking me to apply. Network your butt off, DM people on LinkedIn. I appreciate that only works for a certain type of job though. Everyone I know who is job hunting is having a similar experience

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5485274-job-application-support-thread?page=4&reply=152876538

I was offered a job at the end of April. Still waiting to start. They keep saying dbs check not sorted but I have honestly never known a dbs check take this long before. Just not sure if anything is going to come of the job and just feel in limbo really. meanwhile no income coming in and I've had to sign on for JSA. Not looking forward to job centre appointment next week. I guess I should be grateful for the job offer, I'm just not confident it is actually going to happen.

I think the hardest part is having that security taken away from you and being unable to plan anything for the future as you feel like you should not be spending any money if you don't have any coming in.

I'm also in a predicament do I take the first thing I get offered or hold out for something better but then risk having no work at all for months.

Hundreds of applications sent and only a few replies. A lot of the jobs are only 12 month contracts too which doesn't solve the long term problem.

Sending positivity to everyone in the same boat, it's very tough.

Tumbleweed, radio silence, getting odd feedback, autorejections, AI nonsense, employers not really knowing what they want or being so precise that they never find the right person. Seeing the same jobs advertised multiple times so wondering if it is real, did people not work out, did you dodge a bullet.

It's a really tough market. Have been applying to specific types of roles and jobs properly since Feb, out of work since end of last year, and just landed something this week. V good luck to you.

Was supposed to hear about the outcome of an interview today, all stressed. Email at 6.30 pm telling me they couldn't get the panel together to make a decision till next week 🤣🙄

@UndoRedo that absolutely sucks.

It took 6 months to get anywhere near decent. Messed around by a lot of private sector companies who had weird ideas. What would these employers have done 2 decades ago when you were invited to interview by snail mail.

A lot of the private sector were wanting people to start next day, never going to happen when you are expected to serve a month’s notice at least. You’ve worked somewhere for a period of time, it’s the decent thing to work notice.

January offered a ftc lasting a year.
May I was offered a permanent job in the nhs (an employer who could accommodate my ‘notice period’ I start 6 weeks after job interview.

Some of these private sector companies were awful - one not allowing an interviewer name was a weird attitude of ‘first come first serve’ like interviews were jumble sales maybe?

Hardest part: keeping a PMA (positive mental attitude) its a grind.
Recruiters even at "world class" orgs treat you like shit.
You do 7 interviews inc presentation and you find out post fact they took 4-5 candidates to final round then ghost you....

CVs
Once I got into the shitty AI CV mindset it was actually fine. You also just apply for jobs that have been live 48hrs or less. So you set up your job searches and just scan 2-3 x per day (7am, lunch and after work)

What helped?

1. Applying for jobs that are exactly lile your current job.
2. Networking. I hated it but I did it.

"Virtual coffees", real coffees. the whole thing... ask about roles maybe coming up, take up offers to meet friends of friends who might be hiring / who know about X... whatever...

I find real life referals are what will actually help. Look on LinkedIn- who do you know who is now at "Mars" "Google""GSK" whatever... when you find the job you wamt apply via them

In my industry you cant afford a bad hire... it can result in your own redundancy in 6months time.

People want to work with known quantities in this job climate...

My experience:
I soft started looking in may 25 and had 2 offers by end of September. It was an eye opening experience.

I’m three weeks in to a new job. Before that I was a carer for 5 years, so on benefits and not much recent work experience. I found the whole thing difficult tbh. Finding suitable vacancies, rewriting cover letter and CV for each role, not knowing exactly what words they are looking for if they put it through a scan, rarely hearing back, when I consider that to be an easy AI thing that a company could put in place for discarded candidates. Even the interview process for this job took forever. (3 months from applying to start date). I had three interviews for an entry level job.
the best bit- the job I eventually got, I saw a job and wrote a cover letter/tailored cv appropriately and applied. As I applied, I saw another job on the company job board, different department but same job title, completely different job description. I was short on time and tried my luck, I used the cover letter and cv that I had written for the other job. Never heard back for the first role. I’m now fully employed for the one I made no effort with my application for. I have no idea how my CV and cover letter made it through the selection tbh!

Finding suitable vacancies to apply to. Unemployment is going up and there are fewer good jobs about. People are getting nervous with cost of living and so not moving jobs so again less vacancies occuring.

It is really tough.

In the past 6 months I had only a couple of interviews, endless rejection emails or companies that don't even bother to reply to applications and decided to sign up for JSA last week as I was getting worried.

I finally got an interview and a job offer this week. It is a lower wage than what I had before but it is a job.

It is hard to stay positive in the current environment but the only thing you can do is keep going.

I am due to start a new job (currently working notice)I only got it because someone there recommended me and passed on my cv. I got the job on the spot at the interview. It wasn’t even advertised and I know his lucky I am as my husband is desperate to change jobs and finding it really difficult.

(not in UK but i guess it applies)
I applied for at least 6 jobs every day (use StepStone, Indeed, LinkedIn etc) I had 3 different application letters depending on what kind of job i was applying for (I had set up searches to spit out those 3 types) and adjusted them slightly for each job. I also had 3 appropriately focussed CVs.

But i also applied for jobs i really thought i wanted and were a good fit. For those i wrote a tailored application letter and CV. i only adopted that approach after a year of applying for 6-8 jobs a day using the first tactic. I was offered 4 jobs (that i wanted) within 2 months of doing that, and took the one i wanted most (i started a month or so ago, love it so far) I started 2 weeks after getting the offer (only because that was the minimum time HR could process the application in)

my previous 3 roles were obtained by networking

Good luck, OP

I'm not actually unemployed yet, but am waiting to hear about one interview and have a pre interview chat with about another role - working with a recruitment company on that so they give me advice like "read up on the job role and company". Cheers.

My plan is to have a role in place for after summer. It could all go badly wrong. I'm public sector and the applications I've sent in for private sector roles have led to only silence.

Maybe take the opportunity to change career path. Identify a sector which is struggling to attract applicants and do some training course for that sector.

I have two interviews this week!

Keeping motivated and optimistic. Not letting disappointment get to you.

I think having a cheerleader and chief supporter, someone who has absolute faith in you, is the most important thing, to add some ups to the downs.

Brilliant. Good going !!!