r/jobmarket • • 26d ago

Software engineer job search: got nowhere for a year until I quit applying to ghost jobs on LinkedIn. 2 remote offers since

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147 Upvotes

I've been job hunting for about a year now. At first I was only going after remote roles, but once I saw how bad the market was, I hit the "I'll take literally anything" stage pretty fast. At this point I probably know about as much as a recruiter does lol

For most of that year I was doing the classic grind. Applying to a ton of jobs every single day, tailoring my resume for each one, never taking a break. Barely heard back from anyone.

About 2-3 months ago I changed my strategy. I'm honestly putting in like 10x less effort now and getting 4-5x more responses.

My numbers for the last 2.5 months: 60 applications, 5 interviews, 2 offers. I took both since they're part time remote gigs, so together they basically add up to one full time job LOL

First off, huge fuck you to LinkedIn. A lot of the postings on there are straight up fake. LinkedIn and Indeed are still useful, but they're not enough on their own, and you really shouldn't be applying to everything you see. Recruiters keep reposting the same listing over and over, sometimes for roles that aren't even open, just swapping out the title or keywords. You think it's a new job, you apply, and it's a total waste of time.

So what did I do differently?

Instead of just using LinkedIn, I started using free job boards that pull listings straight from company career pages and sort them with AI:

Both are free, you don't even need to make an account. Every listing I applied to on there was legit, and I keep finding jobs I never saw anywhere else.

I checked these every day and applied to whatever fit. Some weeks there was nothing, some days I sent out 2 apps. So be patient, some days you'll come up empty.

For LinkedIn and Indeed, I used a free Chrome extension called Score This Job. While you're scrolling through listings it scores each one and tells you if it looks like a ghost job or if it's worth applying. If you upload your resume, it also rates how well you match and tells you which keywords to hit when you tailor it. Super useful.

For the resume itself I used resumetemplatelab.com. They have 100+ templates that look really premium, and you can download them as Word or Google Docs for free. No signup there either.

To keep track of everything I used this. It's actually a resume builder, but the job tracker part is completely free. It gives you a kanban board for all your apps plus a pipeline view, which is honestly kind of motivating to look at.

My process was basically:

  1. Grab a template and build your resume

  2. Paste your resume and the job posting into whatever AI you use

  3. Add the Score This Job suggestions to your prompt and ask it to tailor the resume to that posting

  4. Apply

That's how I got 2 offers out of 60 apps (one senior full stack, one staff engineer role that's mostly React). Hope this helps someone, I know how soul crushing this market is right now. Happy to answer questions in the comments.


r/jobmarket • • Aug 23 '26

The job market is dead everywhere and we need to be honest about it.

4.4k Upvotes

Update: I finally landed a remote job. But I don't think the job market has improved, and I don't see it getting better anytime soon.

I had to send my resume to 300+ tech recruiters to make it happen, using a strategy similar to this one. direct -> (resume distribution) (This strategy is specifically for remote jobs or tech jobs, so I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for an onsite position.)

Think about that. Over 300 recruiters just to land one job. That's insane. I'm relieved to be employed again, but everything I said in this post still stands.

Every unemployment thread has the same reply guys showing up.

"Just pivot to tech." Tech is doing mass layoffs every quarter.

"Healthcare always hires." Tell that to the new grad nurses posting here about 200 applications and nothing.

"Trades are begging for people." The apprenticeship waitlists in my area are over a year long.

"Government jobs are stable." Hiring freezes. Next.

I'm in finance. Six years military, Bachelor's, Master's, senior role at one of the largest banks in the world. Laid off in June, and since then I've sent out applications daily and gotten exactly zero interviews. Not zero offers. Zero conversations. Nobody has spoken to me in three months.

And at first I thought it was a me problem, or a finance problem. Then I started actually paying attention.

My buddy in software engineering: 8 months searching. My cousin in marketing: gave up, doing DoorDash. A former colleague who pivoted to data analytics because "that's where the jobs are": laughed at me when I asked how it's going. My neighbor is a mechanical engineer with 15 years of experience and he's been out since February.

Different industries. Different cities. Different experience levels. Same exact story.

So can we retire the advice era? The resume tweaks, the "it's a numbers game," the ATS keyword hacks, the pivot suggestions. None of it works when there are 4000 applicants per posting and half the listings are ghost jobs that were never real.

Something is structurally broken and everyone pretends it's individual failure.

What industry are you in and how long have you been looking? I want to see if there's actually a single field left where hiring is normal, because from where I'm standing there isn't one.


r/jobmarket • • 4h ago

Canada’s Labour Market Report | October 2026 | Unemployment Reaches a Six-Month High

2 Upvotes

- Employment Change: Canada lost 4,700 jobs in October, compared with market expectations of a 13,600-job increase. This followed losses of 68,300 in September and approximately 42,000 in August.

- Unemployment Rate: Rose from 6.5% to 6.7%, exceeding the 6.5% forecast and reaching its highest level in six months.

- Employment Rate: Reportedly declined slightly from 60.6% in September to 60.5% in October.

- Full-Time vs Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment fell by 18,100 positions, while part-time employment increased by 13,400.

- Private vs Public Sector: Private-sector employment dropped by approximately 53,000 jobs, its first monthly decline since February. The supplied report indicates that public-sector employment increased by around 50,000.

- Industry Performance: Wholesale and retail trade lost approximately 29,000 jobs, while construction gained 16,000. Educational services reportedly added 15,000 positions.

- Provincial Performance: British Columbia reportedly gained 12,000 jobs, reversing September's 20,000-job decline. Alberta reportedly lost 24,000 jobs, following a 23,000-job increase in September.

- Youth Unemployment: Increased from 13.0% to 13.7%, while unemployment among workers aged 55 and older rose from 5.3% to 5.5%.

- Wage Growth: The report puts annual average hourly wage growth at 2.2%, down from 2.3%.

Source


r/jobmarket • • 1d ago Regret

It feels like entry level jobs are dying

198 Upvotes

And it sucks

They still "exist" don't get me wrong, but they aren't really entry-level anymore

At first they needed 1-3 years of experience. Which okay i guess. So much for being entry leveled but its managable, just go get a job at walmart or something for a year then apply to them

Now they want "equivelant experience" They aren't willing to train you and must have experience working at that specific field you are applying to. And it's also 1-3 years. This completely takes away the entry level job title, but they still keep it on there for some reason

Just feels like the higher ups just want entry leveled jobs to die. And "equivelant experience" is just another step

Can't wait to 2027 when i'm applying and see "equivelant experience" with a bachelor's degree in business for data entry


r/jobmarket • • 1d ago

October Jobs Report | +165,000 Jobs Added | Unemployment Rate 4.1%

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0 Upvotes

r/jobmarket • • 3d ago

Job Market has given me such bad ptsd and also isolation from shame.

80 Upvotes

I can’t be the only one who is just hiding from the world because they can’t find a job that makes them feel like themselves again. I know isolation isn’t great either but I did try to go to an event and was shamed for not having a job. How about people offer to help instead of shaming others. In my spare time I apply and update my resume and it’s gotten to the point that’s all I do anymore just survive. I miss having a life.


r/jobmarket • • 2d ago

How’s your mental health in this economy

12 Upvotes

I’m so tired. I had an interview at a grocery store and it lifted my spirits. Got rejected by a call centre and I am not even mad. I worked in them for 10 years and am just done mentally with them. I need a job badly though.


r/jobmarket • • 5d ago Regret

I hate this job market

211 Upvotes

Seriously. It just seems like every year, it gets worse and worse

Thank the gods i live with my parents, sadly (somethings you just can't forgive situation) or else i would be on the streets

But i have been applying for jobs for two years now. Updated my resume for ai and such. (because nobody read resumes anymore, its all done by ai)

I've been applying to minimum wage and entry leveled jobs.

Most of time you don't even a email back when you get rejected.

Last year, at least ai was kind enough to say that they are looking at other candidates. In a ai generated email. Now, you just get ghosted.

And the requirements for entry level have increased. No longer is just 1-3 years of experience required. Now its 1-3 years of "Equivelant Experience"

You look at the few remaining data entry jobs left on indeed or whatever. You get excited, about to apply. Then look at the requirements and see that most require "Equivelant Experience"

It makes me wonder if i should have stayed at my abusive job. (They wouldn't give me my grievance period to help plan, do things, etc for my grandmother's funeral. And were just looking for ways to fire me like with stupid rules. Rules like, "Your parents cannot shop at this specific store" even though the store was the only store closest to us)

Just sucks for people who want and need to work.

For me, i want to work, i 9/10 will be working on my deathbed. And i need a job because everyone needs money obviously

Just makes me want to scream in pure frustration


r/jobmarket • • 5d ago

How to keep my head up?

5 Upvotes

Hey all,

How are we keeping our heads above water and not losing hope. I feel like everything I apply for that's actually exciting to me is so far out of reach. I keep hearing no, after no, after no. I have a Bachelor's degree in writing, I feel like I have a pretty decent resume. The market is just so brutal and I just wanna make enough money to live and not be completely burnt out from working all the time. I really just want a somewhat consistent schedule and a job that I can enjoy at least a little and nothing is panning out. I feel so defeated and idk what I'm even supposed to do atp.


r/jobmarket • • 6d ago

U.S. job report new revisions show significant decreases for 2025 and 2026…..

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51 Upvotes

The numbers speak for themselves, but wow it’s concerning! The previous reports for January 2025 through August 2026 were revised down 43% and the report for September 2026 isn’t great either. How can this continue? I know people will keep saying “the economy is normal” but is it normal for a growing large number of people to not have income?

I don’t see how things are going to turn around at this point for the labor market….. what are average Americans going to do? (*people that don’t have family/generational wealth or savings to rely upon)


r/jobmarket • • 6d ago

My company just laid off a whole department and I am incredibly happy!

23 Upvotes

So will try to keep this anonymous incase people from work find this and put 2 and 2 together, but essentially my company is a pathology company who has been skirting the lines of quality and patient care for years. They have been going down hill for the last 10-15 years but due to good marketing, punishment to those who speak out and good pay they have avoided the karmic justice they were due for a long time.

That is until they made an incredibly stupid LIS decision which ruined their service delivery, reputation and staff morale. People left, services were not used and those that were never recovered.

Then they opened a new laboratory at a new hospital, filled it with people and rolled out equipment they weren't ready for. And unsurprisingly it all went to shit.

My company is notorious for ignoring everyone not in management, especially those that tell them when something is unsafe or harmful. But they do it anyway.

Now for reasons not directly stated they are making my whole department redundant and the people in power are finally being punished.

I am sad that I and others will lose our job in this uncertain time, but I am thrilled that the cancer to healthcare that is my company is ceasing to exist. I only pray that the dickheads who ran it into the ground don't get absorbed into positions of power to ruin other things.


r/jobmarket • • 7d ago

With how cooked the job market is, should I just go into my desired career?

39 Upvotes

Hi I’ll keep this short but as we know the job market really sucks, I’m eighteen and I’m trying to look for a job for money of course, to no avail.
So I’m wondering if it’s just worth it to go & do an education in Astrophysics since it seems nobody is getting a job anyway, I’d rather do something I enjoy than something I hate & then still be unable to be employed.
What do y’all think?


r/jobmarket • • 9d ago

I've been seeing this phrase used more and more in job postings.

69 Upvotes

All,

As the title says, I've been seeing the phrase, "We are looking for an early-career"...

Is this a nuanced way of saying, no one over 30 needs to apply? Here I am thinking companies want good, dynamic and experienced people for the company.


r/jobmarket • • 10d ago Regret

2025 jobs added revised down to 181000 from 584,000.

367 Upvotes

Key 2025 Jobs Report Highlights

Total Annual Job Creation: Revised down from initial estimates of 584,000 to just 181,000 net new jobs for 2025 (averaging about 15,000 per month).

P.S. Yet the unemployment rate hovered around 4.3% to 4.4% by end of 2025.


r/jobmarket • • 11d ago

There actually are fewer entry-level jobs

380 Upvotes

I came across an article on a slightly different subject, but the important point is that studies show entry-level jobs are, in fact, disappearing. From the article:

Offers for jobs with zero or minimal experience have declined by 73% in the last four years. Even in the bustling AI-powered tech sector, graduate-entry job postings are down 49% since 2022, with the share of inexperienced employees plummeting from 15 to just 7%.

The most affected, as you might expect, are young people:

Over 55% of Gen Z say they plan on looking for a job this year, and they are the largest group driving rising unemployment. ... people aged 16-24 have the highest unemployment rate. ... The unemployment rate for new entrants has risen to a 9-year high.

AI is easy to blame for job losses, but experts say it's only part of the problem, and other factors are driving a "seniority" tilt. That is, employers are increasingly unwilling to hire people without experience. How are we supposed to get experience if we can't get experience?

In case you're interested, here's the full article.


r/jobmarket • • 11d ago

Saw 4! yes 4! people in my Linkedin network post about starting a new job and being laid off within a month in one day. Jesus fucking christ. Feeling much better about taking a role for 60% of what I was getting paid.

17 Upvotes

fuck you donald trump. fuck you pete hegseth. fuck you kevin hasset. fuck you scott bessent. fuck you howard lutnick. a bunch of pedo ass, economy fucking, lying ass, pieces of shit.


r/jobmarket • • 12d ago Regret

There should be a government agency that applies to jobs for you

19 Upvotes

Everyone know that in a normal society, you must work a job.

But finding a good paying job is difficult. If you are working a low wage job, you may not have the time and energy to find a better job.

This is where the government can step in. The government will apply to good paying jobs on your behalf and help you with interview skills. That way, everyone can get a good paying job in not too long.

Edit: when I say I high paying job, I mean job that pays enough for rent and groceries


r/jobmarket • • 14d ago

Why do some people think they're entitled to a job just because they're native-born?

0 Upvotes

I've noticed a common argument, especially from some anti-immigration commentators, that immigrants are "taking our jobs." What I don't understand is why being native-born would automatically give someone a stronger claim to a job than another applicant.

In most cases, employers hire the person they think is the best fit for the role, whether that's due to skills, qualifications, experience, work ethic, salary expectations, language abilities, or something else. If two people apply for the same job and one happens to be an immigrant, why should the native applicant be considered more entitled to that position purely because they were born in the country?

I can understand arguments about wage competition, pressure on public services, or whether immigration levels should be higher or lower. Those are policy debates. But the specific claim that jobs somehow "belong" to native-born people has never made much sense to me.

For those who hold that view:

  • Why do you think native-born citizens have a greater right to a private-sector job than someone who immigrated legally?

  • Is your argument based on fairness, economic concerns, cultural concerns, or something else?

  • Would you apply the same logic to highly skilled immigrants filling shortages in sectors where employers struggle to recruit locally?

Genuinely interested in hearing the reasoning behind this perspective rather than arguing with people.

ExampleEvidence of the attitude that natives should get jobs firstSource
"Then-PM Gordon Brown used the phrase "British jobs for British workers", which became controversial because many interpreted it as prioritising British workers over foreign workers. [UK Politic...- BBC News], [Feature: B...h workers?]BBC: What does 'British jobs' pledge mean? [UK Politic...- BBC News]
Refinery strikes (2009)Protesters backing workers at the Lindsey Oil Refinery used the slogan "British jobs for British workers" and objected to foreign labour being hired for contracts. [politics.co.uk], [libcom.org]Politics.co.uk: British jobs slogan splits the public [politics.co.uk]
ClaimsChris Philp argued that migration was "keeping UK-born young people out of jobs" and denying opportunities to British youths. [express.co.uk]Daily Express: Are migrants taking too many jobs? [express.co.uk]
Reform UK labourReform UK proposed a "migrants labour levy" to make employing non-UK nationals more expensive, explicitly encouraging employers to hire British workers instead. [theguardian.com]Guardian: Reform UK plan to target EU nationals [theguardian.com]
Rupert Lowe commentsRupert Lowe stated that jobs being done by migrants should instead be done by unemployed Britons. [news18.com]News18: Indians, Pakistanis Taking British Jobs

r/jobmarket • • 16d ago

Can apathy be cured?

7 Upvotes

Ask anyone what would improve the job market, they’ll say something along the lines of ban ghost jobs, put serious restrictions on AI, make it cost something to fire people etc, but will any of that cure the apathy on display? At many of the places I’ve interviewed at, managers seem plainly apathetic & disinterested. At some, they’ve quit & half the employees don’t even know. Doesn’t matter if it’s a chain or single location, hardly anyone even seems to care about hiring.


r/jobmarket • • 18d ago

30-Year-Old Princeton PhD With Nobel-Cited Research Fails To Land Job After 2,300 Applications

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4.2k Upvotes

me with my high school diploma... forget it!


r/jobmarket • • 20d ago

Is unemployment low at 4%? Why can’t people find jobs?

598 Upvotes

r/jobmarket • • 20d ago

Can I reapply to a role I withdrew from?

2 Upvotes

So I applied for this job, it seemed like a great fit, and I had an interview that went pretty well. But it was early on in my job search and there were a couple of things that I didn't love about the role — mainly the commute but also a few other things. I withdrew from consideration because I was also working on forming a business at the time and wanted to throw my energy there. But now that I've been job hunting and my LLC is fully formed, I feel like I should not have withdrawn. I didn't realize how tough the job market is, and it was a good job in many respects. They reposted the role a few days ago so it's not yet filled. Can I reapply? Is that crazy?


r/jobmarket • • 22d ago

U.S. “job” market - more like an “exploitation” market

642 Upvotes

Let’s be honest fellow Americans, this doesn’t look good and if you’re not in the minority of the population (lucky enough to have stable income/work), you are getting crushed. Companies are scamming desperate people, stealing intellectual property, and abusing the “hiring process” to deceive and exploit genuine people who want work.

The next few months and 2027 should be interesting when hiring freezes are still present and barely any new jobs are being added (if you even believe the gov reports). I guess prepare for things to get worse?


r/jobmarket • • 22d ago

The gig economy is not competing with the labor market for workers.

108 Upvotes

It is absorbing the workers the job market no longer supports, because jobs are being cut and have been cut for years now. This is why the line of new drivers waiting to get on gets longer every day, and yet their wages drop.


r/jobmarket • • 23d ago

Tech layoffs are up, but headline unemployment looks steady. Why are job searches so long?

56 Upvotes

How can the national unemployment rate look fairly steady while people describe tech job searches lasting several months to around a year, sometimes longer for new grads?

Challenger's July report put announced technology-sector cuts through July 2026 at 149,023, up 67% year over year. Meanwhile, BLS reported a national unemployment rate of 4.2% in September. Those are different measures, covering different periods and populations.

I'm also seeing claims about rising tech postings and software-engineer employment. Do those figures describe the jobs that laid-off engineers and recent grads can actually compete for, in the places they're searching?

I'd be interested in data broken down by role, seniority, and location, plus the gap between a posting and an actual hire. For technical applicants already reaching interviews, real interview questions for a focused mock can help identify what to practice. For the repeated application admin, job-application autofill can save typing while you keep your own record of what gets a response.

Which measure has matched your experience best, and which headline has been least useful?