I got laid off in September and am currently on unemployment. I'm in an IT/tech field, and I'm struggling to find another job. When I went to a mandatory reemployment course, 6 out of 9 of us in the class were in IT or similar technical fields. One of them worked for IBM for 10 years. Another was in biotech.
Out of the dozens and dozens and dozens of applications I've sent, I've had two recruiters reach out. The first one told me that they went with someone more experienced after the initial phone screening (I have more than four years of experience in a position that was asking for two, and the job only paid up to $55,000). The second one had two positions open…or so I was led to believe.
I had the initial phone screening with the recruiter, did an interview with the person I would have reported to, completed a technical assignment, and then had a series of interviews for two hours in one day. I aced the assignment (I found all the errors and responded to the sample emails the way they'd want me to), asked if there was anything I should learn that could help the team out, dressed nicely, and answered every single question with real examples from my previous positions. I'm not a naturally confident person, but I didn't stumble on any questions and was personable with every interviewer.
I was told I would hear back at the beginning of the week, but it took until Thursday to receive an email letting me know that they had news about the “interview process.” Going by the language, I assumed I would have to do another interview or would be starting the negotiation stage.
…Nope! They called to tell me that they realized they could only budget for one position but that they wanted to stay connected for future opportunities. Their feedback was that I didn't go into enough detail about how I “made an impact” and how I “handled ambiguous situations.” Maybe I have a crappy memory, but I recall that the questions were very general (“Tell us about a time you dealt with a frustrating situation,” “Tell us about a time you didn't get along with a coworker,” etc.). The recruiter was pleasant to work with and was generous to reach out with feedback, but I feel blindsided.
I'm so burnt out, y'all. I have a good amount of experience. I'm a soft-spoken people-pleaser. I always make sure to look groomed and professional. I have a college degree. I volunteer. I have glowing recommendations on LinkedIn. I ask questions to demonstrate that I'm eager to learn. But it's still not enough.
I'm not saying that I'm the perfect fit for every position, and I wholeheartedly acknowledge that there are people who are better than me. What frustrates me is that the process of getting a job has become a numbers game to the extreme, and now we're desperate for scraps. There just aren't enough decent jobs right now, even if you have technical skills.
Please tell me there will be another “Great Resignation” soon!