People Who Were Laid Off Are Sharing What It’s REALLY Like Out There In The Job Market

23.

“[After eight months], the job market is brutal! There are so many people looking for work that even if you meet all of the posted job requirements, there is a small chance the hiring team will see your information. Companies are seeing thousands of resumes in a short amount of time, and they are likely receiving resumes from strong candidates; they just can’t speak to all the highly qualified candidates. The old advice of reaching out to the hiring team is no longer helpful. You now have hundreds of people reaching out to an overburdened hiring team, who don’t have the time to respond to/read all of those messages.”

“There is now rampant fraud in the application process. Companies are mining for data, so they create fake jobs to get your resume and personal information, which allows them to create fraudulent candidates. Companies have to be on the lookout for fraud now, and when they are skeptical about an applicant, they are inclined not to reach out. 

Companies are also looking for the perfect candidate because they know there is more talent available. Instead of being satisfied with a candidate meeting 75-90% of the requirements, it feels like you must have 100-110% of the asks. The hiring process is also slower, since there is more talent available, companies spend weeks moving candidates through their process. A typical interview process used to be 2-4 weeks; it’s now 3-8.”

—Anonymous, 45, female, Chicago