Frustrations with interviewing in this wild job market

You seem like a person with some skills that is trying to work. Is this a geography issue? I work at a factory in CNY and we are taking people with zero experience at all and employing them. Maybe not great pay but over $21 / hour with excellent benefits. We are hiring people almost every week and loosing people to other local jobs. 
Full disclosure if I wanted a job equal to my current role I would probably have to move, maybe you are in a place where any job that isn't an inside deal isn't going to happen?

Have you applied to any tower climbing jobs? They're always looking to hire. 

In reply to NY Nick :

We definitely have it worse than the US right now in Canada due to a weaker economy and a reserve army of the unemployed that's been overstuffed on the bottom end with kids on student visas.

I used to live in a place with probably the most inside-deal-driven job market on the planet so I know what that looks like, and there was nothing keeping randos from getting basic jobs there, so I don't think the lack of connections is a major issue.

I think something that's hurting me personally is the tech industry being a smoking crater beneath an AI-generated-resume firefight, thus making it pretty much impossible to get a tech job, and companies outside of tech being oblivious to that taking a look at my resume and thinking "there's no point hiring this guy, he'll leave for a job at Google within a month!'

But I'm also starting to think that through automation and centralization economies are beginning to reach the point where there are clearly just not enough jobs for the number of qualified people looking for work, and it's just hitting Canada earlier than most. Recently I've seen some hints that it may be starting to reach the US too.

In reply to yupididit :

I've seen a few but they require training/certs/licenses I don't have.

GameboyRMH said:

In reply to NY Nick :

We definitely have it worse than the US right now in Canada due to a weaker economy and a reserve army of the unemployed that's been overstuffed on the bottom end with kids on student visas.
 

But I'm also starting to think that through automation and centralization economies are beginning to reach the point where there are clearly just not enough jobs for the number of qualified people looking for work, and it's just hitting Canada earlier than most. Recently I've seen some hints that it may be starting to reach the US too.

Our economy was seriously mismanaged in the last decade, and It's gone from boom to bust very quickly. It's very difficult to find work right now. Those places that were screaming for workers and paying $25/hr for entry level factory jobs are reducing shifts and laying off, fast food isn't hiring, and restaurants are closing. Some of my coworkers relatives, immigrants, have been looking for work over a year. He's right, it's bad here right now.

^ What they said.

Nobody wants to spend money right now. Businesses are all hurting because people are watching their pennies.

ShawnG said:

^ What they said.

Nobody wants to spend money right now. Businesses are all hurting because people are watching their pennies.

We have 17 open positions ranging from accounting to welding to electrical to assembly.  Booked out for all of 2025.  

Some markets are hurting but industrial equipment is not one of them.

I'd love to move into industrial sales but have never found an opening. I'm comfortable most anywhere- but I'm a machine guy at heart and I'm getting over software. 
 

if anyone ever know of an opening I'd be all ears and I live close to an airport. 

I work in higher education which some bracing for school closing and others are cutting back. We are all wearing several hats and are understaffed. My wife is looking for a job in accounting and/or payroll and she is finding it difficult (typically now is when they staff for the busy season Dec-April).  The job market reminds me of 2006-08, I had just graduated from college and couldn't get a interview for a fulltime job. I ended up moving back to my hometown and had 3 part time jobs for almost 2 years before I finally was able to land a full time job. My sister who has held some high ranking positions in big companies is also having trouble finding work. She thinks that companies were posting with no intention of hiring and collecting ERC, perhaps that will stop since it wasn't renewed.  Atleast in Ohio there is future growth in the future, intel moving the microchip plant I think is going to increase some growth, but I would like to see some more aggressive futuristic plans by politicians, investors and businesses.  To many old bodies in washington hopefully that starts to clear out as well.

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

Things might be different here in soviet Canuckistan.

GameboyRMH said:

In reply to NY Nick :

We definitely have it worse than the US right now in Canada due to a weaker economy and a reserve army of the unemployed that's been overstuffed on the bottom end with kids on student visas.

I used to live in a place with probably the most inside-deal-driven job market on the planet so I know what that looks like, and there was nothing keeping randos from getting basic jobs there, so I don't think the lack of connections is a major issue.

I think something that's hurting me personally is the tech industry being a smoking crater beneath an AI-generated-resume firefight, thus making it pretty much impossible to get a tech job, and companies outside of tech being oblivious to that taking a look at my resume and thinking "there's no point hiring this guy, he'll leave for a job at Google within a month!'

But I'm also starting to think that through automation and centralization economies are beginning to reach the point where there are clearly just not enough jobs for the number of qualified people looking for work, and it's just hitting Canada earlier than most. Recently I've seen some hints that it may be starting to reach the US too.

AI isn't taking your job opportunities in Tech. I suspect it's more you don't have the exact skills and level of experience in them that companies want. And that's not meant to be an insult.

It took me 8 years being a Tech Writer in manufacturing, defense, software UI testing for cranes, and aerospace to get my current gig at NetSuite. With a degree in writing (Journalism).

What AI is doing for us is making mundane, busy work easier so we can focus on work that is much more difficult for AI to even get close to.

And there are a lot of AI programs and such we can't even use because due to the fear or proprietary information hitting servers that aren't ours.

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

Agreed. Another solid year for us. 

ShawnG said:

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

Things might be different here in soviet Canuckistan.

Less than a year ago we were balls to the wall, hiring like crazy, and unlimited overtime.

Normally it's the US going int recession first, then us. This time we were  already in such bad shape we couldn't weather any kind of slowdown. It's coming there too.

In reply to z31maniac :

I don't think that AI is taking away any meaningful number of jobs in tech through automation, but it is making them harder to get through AI-generated resumes growing the haystack into a mountain and causing companies to use increasingly restrictive AI-powered resume analysis to cut that down to something manageable. The hype is also causing a lot of companies to reallocate as many non-AI-related resources as they can into AI-related ones to delight investors and executives, while objectively worsening their actual business operations.

In programming and sysadmin I haven't found today's AI tools to be useful at all. If blindly copying-and-pasting code or configs from StackOverflow is a bad idea then pasting in AI-generated code and configs is vastly worse. Once you get beyond a couple dozen lines of code you're going to spend as much time verifying and fixing the AI-generated code than what it would've taken to just write it from scratch. The only way to save time with AI-generated code is to blindly paste it in and move on if it seems to work, an approach that should deserve even more scorn than when it was done with human-written snippets of code from random websites.

Ran across this article, something I was completely unaware of is that the neverending tech layoffs have apparently been spreading to other white-collar work for at least many months now, which shows how easy it can be to miss major trends in industries you don't work in. So maybe I shouldn't assume the people who are oblivious of the techjobpocalypse have been living under a rock:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/applications-to-m-b-a-programs-soar/ar-AA1sMnH6

I still haven't got any interviews. I'm starting to think that a major factor in getting one is being among the first people to pounce on a job posting. A pattern I've noticed is that I apply for a job that's been up for a few days or maybe up to 2 weeks that I'm very well-qualified for, and then it's taken down within 48hrs. I suspect companies may be quickly interviewing some of the first few people who respond and by the time I get my resume in, they're already signing someone up.

If you'd asked me about "ones that got away" in terms of jobs I wouldn't have been able to list any until recently, a nearby dealership was looking for a junior service advisor with experience in digital media. Pay was decent and the benefits package was nuts, something like 3 weeks vacation available immediately on signup. I think it was online for under 2 weeks and was gone the day after I applied. And the only significant long-term career threat you need to worry about working for a dealership is that some day a government might repeal the legislation that enables the entire industry to exist rather than selling cars Tesla/Carvana-style.

Hey just got my first interview request after 59 carefully targeted applications. It's for a NOC technician type role with a lengthy commute and potentially brutal hours. Should pay well though if it involves lots of overtime, and I sure need the money right now (and will need more to pay for all that gas).

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Break a leg!

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Best of luck!

93gsxturbo said:

ShawnG said:

^ What they said.

Nobody wants to spend money right now. Businesses are all hurting because people are watching their pennies.

We have 17 open positions ranging from accounting to welding to electrical to assembly.  Booked out for all of 2025.  

Some markets are hurting but industrial equipment is not one of them.

I'll second that. We are wide open and taking steps to add capacity and jobs. I can't say how much but we are doing a capacity expansion project that is bigger than anything I have seen in almost 15 years at my current employer. 
Nearly every shop or industrial supply place I am buying from is also super busy (based on price and lead time). Same thing for engineering firms and construction around me. 
 

good luck with the NOC interview!

I just graduated with my Masters degree and before I began my job here at GRM, I began applying months before my graduation date and applied for over 300 jobs in the span of 5 months or so. 80% of them I heard nothing back, 15% of them I got rejection emails and 5% of the I got interviews for. The 5% of them were not single interviews the furthest I got in one process was six interviews, just to be rejected after all of them. And I was applying for entry level marketing and writing positions. However, most of the entry level positions I did find that I actually wanted to try for required a minium 4 years experience in the field, and were not accepting experience done in college. Jobs in all fields are suffering and for recent graduates its becoming more and more difficult to even begin in their fields. 

Only just seen this thread, I will have to catch up on some of what's going on.  

I was laid off, over the phone, while visiting family in the UK, December 28th last year.  I've been tailoring and applying for jobs since the first week in January.  Total so far, 136 applications sent in.  Probably six or more interviews with recruiters, Five HR interviews with companies, seven with engineers/managers, and still nothing.  I know some of the positions I've applied for are just harvesting for resumes.  There's one new(ish) OEM who's been advertising the same positions in rotation for about 2 years now, and to my knowledge (from people in the company) they are probably a year away from interviewing and hiring.  I'm also sure my age and experience is now counting against me.  Several positions I've talked to a recruiter and discussed 'yes I may seem over qualified, but I am genuinely interested in the position'.  I tell them to look at my employment record, I'm not a job or position jumper.  They make all the right sounds, but as soon as the actual companies see my resume, I'm sure they think 'this guy wont stay around, look at all this experience'.  At this point I really need something with health insurance ASAP.

Paris Van Gorder said:

I just graduated with my Masters degree and before I began my job here at GRM, I began applying months before my graduation date and applied for over 300 jobs in the span of 5 months or so. 80% of them I heard nothing back, 15% of them I got rejection emails and 5% of the I got interviews for. The 5% of them were not single interviews the furthest I got in one process was six interviews, just to be rejected after all of them. And I was applying for entry level marketing and writing positions. However, most of the entry level positions I did find that I actually wanted to try for required a minium 4 years experience in the field, and were not accepting experience done in college. Jobs in all fields are suffering and for recent graduates its becoming more and more difficult to even begin in their fields. 

I would hate to be a college grad right now (graduated in 2005 on the 5.5 year plan). I get calls/emails from recruiters that want to pay me entry level salaries even though I have 15+ years of experience. I've been contacted a few times for 2 different jobs that would actually pay more, theoretically. But factor in the commute (my fiance and I both work from home), more expensive healthcare with less benefits, and needing to buy an all new wardrobe, no one has told me a number that even makes me want to apply. 

Aside from the COVID weight gain from being at home, I donated all my work clothes a few years ago since they closed our local office. Even though we didn't even dress "business casual." Shorts, sandals, t-shirt, hat was my typical attire. But people wore PJs and stuff like that as well. 

Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:

Only just seen this thread, I will have to catch up on some of what's going on.  

I was laid off, over the phone, while visiting family in the UK, December 28th last year.  I've been tailoring and applying for jobs since the first week in January.  Total so far, 136 applications sent in.  Probably six or more interviews with recruiters, Five HR interviews with companies, seven with engineers/managers, and still nothing.  I know some of the positions I've applied for are just harvesting for resumes.  There's one new(ish) OEM who's been advertising the same positions in rotation for about 2 years now, and to my knowledge (from people in the company) they are probably a year away from interviewing and hiring.  I'm also sure my age and experience is now counting against me.  Several positions I've talked to a recruiter and discussed 'yes I may seem over qualified, but I am genuinely interested in the position'.  I tell them to look at my employment record, I'm not a job or position jumper.  They make all the right sounds, but as soon as the actual companies see my resume, I'm sure they think 'this guy wont stay around, look at all this experience'.  At this point I really need something with health insurance ASAP.

Probably time to extensively trim your resume. It's illegal for them to ask your age, but if your resume has 25+ years of experience, it's easy for them to draw conclusions. Tailor your resume so it's more difficult for them and more advantageous for you

calteg said:

Probably time to extensively trim your resume. It's illegal for them to ask your age, but if your resume has 25+ years of experience, it's easy for them to draw conclusions. Tailor your resume so it's more difficult for them and more advantageous for you

Amen, brother.  

That being said seems like there is a pretty big gutting of boomers and pre-boomers going on.  Interviewed a bunch of them and you can literally smell the desperation for a job.  Unfortunately for the guys interviewed, they all kind of sucked.  Didn't have that fire of the younger generation.  I want someone I can train, teach, and bring along for the ride, not someone looking to ride out the last 5-10 years of their professional career.  

So I think the interview on Friday went pretty well and I'll have to take the job if offered, but if I don't get it then I won't be upset. It's 4x12/3x12 rotating shifts and the starting pay is really low, I didn't expect it to pay as much as my last job but I think I visibly flinched when they told me how little it was. Higher commuting costs (infinity times higher plus potentially buying lunch outside) and lower pay (about 3/4 of my last job) is a really bad combination. This would have the longest hours of any job I've ever had and would at least approach if not exceed the worst commute times I've ever had.