Quick background: I'll be 50 in a few months, live in a deep red state hell hole, and got laid off from my job as the GM of the service side of a farm implementation manufacturing company when the company decided to kill off the company-branded service centers and sell off those assets. I knew the end was near about two months ago when I was short 2 of of the 3 service managers and was not allowed to rehire, and technician staffing was about 30%. Most of this year I was filling in for the missing service managers and was only home on Saturday as the unstaffed centers were 4 and 5 hours away from home.
I got a decent severance. The laid off technicians and support folks got jack shit. I helped about half of them get other jobs, but I still feel terrible they got the shaft. The whole episode was just cruel.
As things started to unwind I started applying for other jobs, but got no bites. My resume has 30 years of experience, but not all in the same trade, but I only applied for roles that seemed familiar and corresponded to my recent experience.
After I got laid off I spent six hours a day on Indeed, Ziprecruiter, and LinkedIn (fuck LinkedIn) going through every job posted every day with no search terms. I applied for every job that seemed even remotely related to something I'd done in the past, with a goal of 25 applications a day.
I got a few bites, and two interviews with the state, one with a generator repair company, and I'm a finalist with a truck repair firm. I got a standing offer with a defense contractor for a role starting in December if nothing else works out, and there's another offer as a JROTC instructor (no thanks, what a shit show).
So, here's my observation. Cast the net wide. Look outside of your comfort zone and find something remotely appealing and apply for it. Thing of job shopping like hooking up at the bar: “Go ugly early and you'll never go home alone.”
I think the job market is going to be especially tough for younger workers who have been in one trade/field and can't branch out as readily as older workers, and the world of IT workers is getting turned on its head.