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- Why Job Hunting Sucks on a Whole New Level…
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Why Job Hunting Sucks on a Whole New Level…

Have you or people you know been job hunting during the last year? If so, our most sincere condolences. 😔

2023 has been a particularly overwhelming year for job seekers due to a mixed cocktail of massive layoffs, rumors of a recession, threats from companies to terminate employees who don’t agree to work on-site full time, and… to top it all off, the arrival of ChatGPT. 

Currently, there are hundreds of thousands of qualified, hardworking people who are desperately applying for jobs, and not landing any. Between ghost posts (job companies post that they no intention of filling), job scams (fake posts that try to steal your personal info), companies with legit posts that change their minds at the last minute and decide to implement hiring freezes, being a job seeker can sad, lonely, soul-crushing [ADD DEVASTATING ADJECTIVE HERE]. We did an awesome podcast episode about this topic  called: Job Scams and Ghost Posts…As if The Job Search Process Wasn’t Hard Enough.

Another component that adds an extra layer of difficulty for today’s job seekers is the fact that with so many people laid off, competition is more fierce than ever before. Knowing this, companies feel enabled to implement very intense –and some would argue unethical –hiring processes, like requiring candidates to do countless rounds of interviews, or asking them to work many hours on projects or strategic documents for free, so the hiring managers can  “see what they’re getting.” Just take a look at this recent infographic by Time.com about the challenges of the interview process:

“52% completed the entire interview process without receiving an offer, and 38% received inconsistent information between a job posting and an interview.“

LET. THAT. SINK. IN. This is far from positive, and this refers to the people who actually got an interview.Many applicants never hear back from the company at all. Ghosting is very prevalent these days, and with so many people’s livelihoods on the line, you’d think that a courtesy “no thank you” note would be a must, but nope. And look, we know that job hunting has never been easy, but 2023 has taken it to a whole new level, and applicants are experiencing existential dread on steroids.

S.O.S.

Recruiters get a bad rep for all of this, but they are not entirely at fault here. The job market, technology and culture are changing so fast nowadays, that a job that was posted a couple of weeks ago may be put on a hiring freeze or eliminated altogether. Or, the position’s hiring manager is suddenly laid off, so the job post is placed on hold or, again, eliminated altogether. Fun times. And unfortunately, the recruiter is the face of this internal turmoil.

In any case, if you’re on the hunt for a job and you’re feeling overwhelmed and under appreciated, remember:

It’s not you, it’s this crazy 2023 job market.

(Or maybe it’s you, but we’re trying to stay positive here.)

In trying times, we find that reading thoughtful articles make us feel less alone, so we’ve curated some insightful reads where you can find true stories about people searching for jobs, and what they went through:

“Workers are losing some of the bargaining power they had over the last few years,’ he says. ‘The balance of power is drifting back to employers.”

– Randd Ghayad, head of economics and global labor markets at LinkedIn.

Although these articles paint a realistic, tough scenario, it’s not all gloom and doom either. As the articles mentioned, yes, A.I. could be seen as a threat to jobs, but… it’s also an excellent tool when it comes to making your job application process less time consuming and more targeted. We recently discovered EarnBetter, an AI powered job search platform that helps you simplify every stage of this process, from writing top notch resumes and cover letters, to finding job posts that fit your skills and interests. All in one place, and…it’s free. For real. Job searching really doesn’t have to be this hard, nor should you have to pay hundreds of dollars to hire a resume writer. Use your time and resources smartly and try out this tool from our spotlighted partners at EarnBetter.

On a final note aimed to lift your potentially crushed job searching spirit, here are some inspiring articles that help you see a light at the end of the dark job search tunnel.

Remember that you can’t control if the hiring manager gives you a yes or no, but you can control how you go into the job search process and what tools you choose to make the process as pain-free as possible!