I’ve been in the Cybersecurity field since 2011, and finding a job was never an issue until recently. I went through a layoff in 2023 after a solid run, which took me 6 months to recover from. I then faced another contract ending early in 2025, leading to another 6-month job search. Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, I was laid off again in 2026, despite having received a bonus just weeks prior. Now, I’ve been unemployed for 7 months and the job market feels more hostile than ever. Every day, I follow the same routine: I apply for jobs using various resumes tailored for different roles, including customer service and junior cybersecurity positions. I usually get 3-5 calls from recruiters daily, who often tell me I’m a perfect fit for the roles I’ve applied for. They promise to send my resume to the hiring manager, who will supposedly get back to me soon. But it’s a frustrating cycle—95% of the time, I hear excuses about the hiring manager being unavailable or the position being put on hold. When I check back, the job postings are still active. To make ends meet, I took a job doing taxes for $15 an hour, which is a completely new field for me. I’m planning to work my way up from there. With more layoffs happening at big companies like Meta and Microsoft, I can’t shake the feeling that the job market is only going to get worse. I’m tired of this endless cycle of applications and rejections. I’m not looking for advice; I’m just sharing my frustration about how hard it is to find work these days and questioning how recruiters are still getting paid when no one seems to be hiring.