Thinking

I'm currently a network engineer, but I'm feeling disillusioned with the tech industry. Since 2021, there have been nearly a million layoffs, and the job market is incredibly tough right now. Remote work opportunities have dwindled, and the competition for available positions is fierce. I'm considering a career switch into low voltage systems and want to understand the job opportunities and growth potential in that field. I'm curious if there will be enough work available or if I’ll just be facing the same level of competition as I do now.

I'm currently navigating unemployment and looking for advice on how to improve my job search strategy. I've been applying to various positions but haven't had much luck. I'm considering revamping my LinkedIn profile to make it more appealing to potential employers. If anyone has tips on what to include or how to stand out, I would really appreciate it. Additionally, any insights on networking or resources for job seekers would be helpful!

I was feeling pretty defeated in my job search lately. It seemed like every application I submitted was going nowhere, and I was starting to lose hope. I thought I had messed up my chances completely. But I decided to keep pushing through and stay positive, even when it felt like nothing was working out.

I'm currently in the thick of my job search and feeling a bit overwhelmed. I've seen a lot of posts from students and recent graduates claiming they've applied to 400-500 jobs, received hundreds of rejections, and managed to land a few interviews. It got me wondering how they find so many job openings. I've been focusing on LinkedIn, checking company career pages, and browsing a few job boards, but I feel like I run out of relevant listings pretty quickly. I'm curious about what resources others are using to discover so many opportunities. Here are some questions I have: 1. What specific websites or job boards are you using to find a high volume of job openings? 2. How do you manage to find jobs as soon as they are posted? 3. Do you set up job alerts? If so, where do you do that? 4. Are applicants considering positions in multiple cities or countries, or are there really that many openings available locally? 5. How do you keep track of all the applications you submit? I would really appreciate hearing about your processes, especially if you've navigated a large-volume job search recently. Thanks!

I completed my MBA in Spain last year and have been on the job hunt ever since. It's been way too long, and I'm feeling a bit desperate for some guidance. I'm open to a variety of positions, from junior to managerial roles, and I bring over 5 years of experience to the table. Here's a quick overview of my background: I've worked in both the USA and Mexico, and I earned my Bachelor's degree in the USA. My most recent position was at PepsiCo, and my career has primarily focused on communication and marketing. I'm specifically targeting job opportunities in Barcelona, mainly within international corporations, which is why my resume is in English to align with the job postings. I’m starting to wonder if there’s something fundamentally wrong with my resume. I would really appreciate any feedback, even if it’s tough love, as I’m eager to secure a job soon!

I'm currently working as a Kitchen Attendant at a local community kitchen in my rural hometown, where I started last week. At 19 and a college student, I took this job for $18 an hour, thinking it would be a good summer opportunity. However, after just a week, I'm seriously considering quitting. The first four days were dedicated to training, and I was already feeling exhausted. This week, I learned that we will be serving every kitchen in the area, which the HR lady seemed to think was a positive thing, but it just adds to my stress. The hours are from 7 AM to 3 PM, five days a week, but my commute requires me to wake up at 5:30 every morning. I spend an hour getting ready and commuting, which leaves me drained before I even start my shift. Being the youngest in a kitchen full of older workers means I'm often given the hardest tasks, like lifting heavy items, which adds to my fatigue. The work itself is repetitive, and I stand for most of the 8-hour shift with only a 30-minute break. By the end of the day, I'm completely wiped out and often pass out as soon as I get home, which leaves me sleep-deprived during the week. I feel like I'm missing out on summer because I can't enjoy my afternoons due to exhaustion. I'm worried that if I quit now, I might not find another job this summer. I'd love to return to an old community arts center where I worked in high school, but I'm concerned they won't take me back. That job would be a better fit, with more flexible hours and less intensive labor, even though it pays $15 an hour instead of $18. I just don't think the pay is worth the toll this job is taking on me. I want to enjoy my summer and not feel like I'm constantly battling exhaustion. If I decide to quit, I plan to do so this Friday, as I'm also working as a delivery driver for shipments a few days a week and want to avoid leaving them short-staffed.

I just found out that my plant in the US is closing on the 26th, and I was shocked to learn about it from a customer instead of management. Headquarters in France didn't even plan to inform us directly. To keep operations running until the closure, they offered severance and retention packages. What surprised me even more was discovering that I qualify as part of a protected class because I'm over 40. This means I have 45 days to sign the agreement, while younger employees only have 7 days. Initially, I thought this was a great advantage, but now that I'm job hunting, I can't help but wonder if my age is affecting my job applications. Although age discrimination is illegal, I feel like my resume might reveal my age, which could be a factor in my search. The urgency of being unemployed adds a lot of stress, especially compared to searching for a job while still employed.

I've been job hunting for the past few months and wanted to share my experience and seek advice. I have about 3 years of full-stack development experience, specifically with the MERN stack. During this time, I've gone through several interviews and have consistently made it to the second or third rounds. I feel confident in my technical skills, as I can usually answer around 90% of the questions in those rounds. However, despite my efforts, I've faced repeated rejections in the final stages, often receiving generic feedback or no feedback at all. I'm curious about the hiring process from the perspective of recruiters and hiring managers. Is it common for companies to continue interviewing candidates even when they have a preferred candidate in mind? Do teams typically complete scheduled interviews for comparison or as a backup option? For those involved in hiring, what are some common reasons a candidate who performs well throughout the interview process might still be rejected at the end? I'd really appreciate any honest insights or similar experiences from recruiters, hiring managers, and fellow developers.

I recently went through a frustrating experience while interviewing for a senior marketing role. After six weeks of interviews, including three rounds and a final one with the VP, I received a verbal offer last Tuesday. The recruiter confirmed the salary we had discussed and mentioned that the written offer would arrive within a few days. Feeling optimistic, I told my manager the next morning about my plans to leave, although I hadn't formally given notice yet since I was waiting for the contract. However, just five days later, I received an email from the recruiter stating that the position was being put on hold due to internal restructuring. I was left in the dark for two days after that, so I decided to check LinkedIn. To my shock, I saw that someone who was in my final interview—a junior analyst who barely spoke—had updated her title to the exact position I was offered, just three days after my offer was rescinded. Now, I'm feeling lost. I don't have anything in writing, and while my manager knows I was planning to leave, I'm unsure if a verbal offer holds any legal weight. It feels like I was used in the hiring process to justify promoting someone internally. I'm not even sure what I'm looking for in terms of advice; I just needed to vent and share this experience.

I recently experienced a termination after just one month in an entry-level role at a company that I initially thought I would thrive in. From the start, I sensed the environment was toxic. They asked me to begin work earlier than we had agreed upon multiple times, which would have conflicted with my previous job. During the interview, I even noticed some awkward tension between the married interviewers. Once I started, I found myself doing tasks that weren't part of my job description, and I only received two weeks of onboarding. For the last two weeks of my time there, I was essentially on my own as everyone else was on holiday. The workload was overwhelming, and I tried my best to keep up, often rushing back from breaks just to stay on top of things. Now, I'm on the hunt for a new job and I'm unsure how to address this brief stint in interviews. Some advice I've received suggests leaving it off my resume entirely, while others recommend being honest but keeping it simple. I think I’ll focus on the fact that the role wasn't the right fit and that I learned a lot from the experience, but I’m still figuring out how to present it without raising too many questions.

I'm currently living in Algeria and I'm looking for job opportunities abroad. I have a strong academic background and I'm proficient in English, but I'm not sure where to start my job search. I'm seeking advice on how to find job contracts in foreign countries. Any tips or resources that could help me navigate this process would be greatly appreciated!

Today, I experienced my first layoff after 35 years in the engineering field, specifically in hardware and firmware. It feels surreal to be unemployed at 58, especially since I've navigated my career without facing this situation before. While I have had a fulfilling career, the thought of entering the job market now is daunting, particularly with the challenges that come with age. I have 12 weeks of severance, and I plan to take some time to recover and reset before I start job hunting. I've seen many posts from others in similar situations and feel a sense of solidarity with them.

I joined Microsoft about a year ago, and today I had a conversation with my manager that left me feeling uneasy. They mentioned that they had to really advocate for me to avoid being placed in LITE, which I understand is a designation for employees who may be at risk of being laid off. This has got me thinking about my job security here. I'm reaching out to see if anyone who has worked at Microsoft can share their experiences. Should I take this as a warning sign and start looking for other opportunities?

After 25 years in the tech industry, working for companies like Apple and NCR, I found myself laid off in a mass reduction. As I hit my 40s, I started feeling the sting of ageism, with my experience suddenly being deemed 'too expensive' by corporate spreadsheets. It was a tough realization that my years of hard work were reduced to a line item in a budget. In a moment of panic, I invested $9,000 into an executive transition program, hoping to get the support I needed. While the community aspect was great, the advice on branding and LinkedIn left much to be desired. I found myself trying to downplay my extensive history to fit into a corporate mold, hoping a recruiter would notice me. That was my wake-up call. I decided to completely revamp my online presence, showcasing my decades of experience as a problem-solver rather than just another employee seeking a job. This shift in perspective transformed my approach; what corporations saw as a liability became an asset that private clients began to pay for directly. While I don't think everyone should jump into entrepreneurship, I do believe it's crucial to build your own brand alongside your job search. If you've recently been laid off, don't waste your energy seeking validation from a flawed corporate system. Instead, take control of your online presence, embrace your seniority, and ensure your public profile reflects the respect you've earned over the years.

I finally received a job offer after four long years as a temporary employee. I'm excited but also a bit anxious about the next steps, particularly regarding salary negotiation. My previous program manager, who held the same role I'm stepping into, was making $77k this year before moving up to a manager position. Although she isn't my hiring manager, I believe her salary gives me a benchmark. I was informed that the company conducted a market analysis to determine the salary for this role, which is standard practice. Since this is my first significant job offer outside of retail, I'm unsure about what would be considered appropriate or reasonable for negotiating my salary. Any advice on how to approach this would be greatly appreciated!

I’m currently navigating a challenging situation at my first job in IT, where I’ve been working as a Technical Support employee for the past 8 months. When I joined, I was told I would need to complete a 3-month unpaid internship due to my lack of experience, which I accepted because I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. My manager, a family acquaintance, initially hired me, and I’m grateful for that chance, but my role has become increasingly confusing since I started. I was hired for Support, but soon after, a former employee returned and took over most client communications, leaving me with a smaller client that rarely had issues. I thought I would eventually transition to handling more client interactions, but instead, my responsibilities shifted to just assigning tasks, while he continued to manage the more active clients and developer coordination. To complicate matters, I was assigned to Team A officially, but I often worked with Team B, which my manager primarily oversees. The CTO would tell me to focus on Team B, while Team A's lead would direct me to prioritize Team A tasks. This back-and-forth left me feeling lost and without a clear role. Despite my efforts, my work in task assignment isn’t valued by senior management, and I’ve repeatedly heard that my role is “vague” or “undefined.” After six months, I was supposed to go through a review process, but that never happened. Recently, I expressed interest in moving into QA after a resignation, but I haven’t received any feedback from the CTO about that. What really pushed me to my breaking point was when I found out I was excluded from a new workplace policy announcement. My name was left off the list, and this isn’t the first time I’ve been forgotten. I reached out to HR and the CTO for clarification, but I haven’t heard back. I feel like I’m in a position where nobody knows where I belong, including my managers. During daily standups, I feel embarrassed when it’s my turn to update, as I have nothing meaningful to contribute. I’m currently job hunting, but it’s been tough, and I need to stay in this role to complete my semester requirements. This situation has drained my motivation and confidence, and it’s taking a toll on my mental health. I joined this company hoping to learn and grow, but instead, I’m left questioning my purpose here.

I’m currently considering applying for a position in another department within my company, and I’m unsure whether I should inform my direct supervisor about my interview. I feel a bit conflicted about disclosing this information at this stage. Some colleagues suggested that it might be courteous to let my supervisor know, as the hiring manager from the other department will likely reach out to them for a reference. They mentioned that it’s better for my supervisor to hear it from me rather than from someone else, as it could help maintain a good relationship. I’m leaning towards being upfront about it, but I’m still weighing my options.

I recently interviewed for a position and followed up with an email after the Memorial Day weekend. I received a prompt response from the interviewer, who thanked me for my interest and mentioned they would keep me posted on the "next steps" as they continue their review process. The email felt quite neutral to me, which has left me wondering about my chances. I'm really interested in this role, but I don't want to get my hopes up too high. I'm curious if anyone else has been in a similar situation and what their experiences were like. Should I expect a rejection letter, or is there still a chance?

I recently accepted a job offer and my new role starts in three weeks. I have planned PTO for next week and I'm contemplating whether I can give my two weeks' notice while I'm away. I'm considering emailing my manager to inform them of my decision and letting them know I'm available to discuss everything when I return. This is my first time navigating this situation, so I'm unsure about the proper etiquette. I've seen mixed advice online, with some suggesting that a two weeks' notice is just a courtesy and that I could resign immediately if needed. However, I want to handle this professionally.

I have an interview coming up on Wednesday for a position I'm really excited about. It's a group interview with 4-5 other candidates, and I'm feeling a bit anxious about it. In the past, I've struggled to articulate my thoughts during interviews and often find myself saying 'um' way too many times. I know I can do the job well, but the interview process tends to trip me up. I'm reaching out for any tips or tricks that might help me prepare and present myself better during this group setting. A fellow candidate mentioned that responses don't need to be lengthy, just concise and relevant, which I found helpful. If anyone has additional advice, I'd greatly appreciate it!