Is the job market as bad as it seems? How long did it take you to find a new role?
Posted by CardiologistWhole908@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 126 comments
I was made redundant last year, found a new job that pays me more, however it’s just not a good fit.
I’ve known it since I started and after a conversation with my boss, she believes the same. It looks like my time with the company will come to an end- which I’m relieved about, but the stress of trying to find another job is starting to set in and the fact I’ve not succeeded is bothering me.
I have a mortgage to take care of and we would struggle to survive on my partners salary alone.
I’m 24, have been steadily employed since I was 16 and I’m now part of the senior leadership team and have held that position since I was 18.
All I tend to see are doom and gloom posts about the job market and now I have a few questions.
- is it really as bad as everyone says? I found my last role pretty quickly, however not sure if it was due to the time of year.
-I’m contemplating taking a pay cut and working my way back up, or even going to study in my spare time, has anyone done this and it worked out for the better?
-there seems to be more jobs centred around my profession on Linkdin than indeed- is that normal? I’ve never had much success from Linkdin.
I’m feeling like I’ve had my confidence knocked, as I feel like my plan for the future and where I saw myself going, is not going to happen so any advice I could be given would be greatly appreciated.
Automatic_Role6120@reddit
Senior leader since 18? Ok buddy
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
ConPem@reddit
With 2 years of job experience
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
With 5 years of experience
ConPem@reddit
I said you become senior management team at 18.. with two years experience.. because you said you have been employed since you were 16.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
Yes it was a small company, I was good at the role and due to organisational changes they needed me to step up which i did, I stayed there for a couple years (4) and have moved round since (again, reduced my age slightly to protect my identity) but it is possible- I just loved my job and worked all hours to try and succeed. It paid off but now I’m stuck. I was just asking for help in a really stressful time.
ZultaniteAngel@reddit
I wouldn't listen too much to some of the replies you're getting. They honestly sound jealous.
You've had a stable salary by the sounds of it and a mortgage. The closest thing some of these commenters have is their mum's basement.
You've succeeded where they've failed at a much younger age so they're going to be salty about it.
I think you're doing very well for yourself and I wouldn't worry too much about the job market since you have been able to hold down a stable job that pays well enough for your bills.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your kind comment- I don’t think I’m doing that well for myself anymore. I feel like I’ve really let myself down which I guess is why these comments are bothering me so much
ZultaniteAngel@reddit
People often hate a success story that defies their own experience. It hurts their ego to see people succeed where they failed.
They're going to make out it's harder than it actually is or claim that anyone who has is a liar.
One of my coworkers is only very early 20s and is married and has a house of his own. He's a Team Leader (a step down from an assistant manager). A couple of the older workers simply cannot stand the idea he has not only found love but is married and has a place of his own.
But yeh, these redditors are completely wrong. Both of my managers practically manage nearly all store operations where I work and are only mid-20s.
Ok-Information4938@reddit
Team leader at 21 and store managers at 25 - fine.
"Senior leadership team" in general teams means the company board or executive committees that sit directly underneath.
In practice the senior LT consists of CEO, CFO, COO, Legal Head, HR Head, etc. They're all senior director positions. Definitely no 18 year olds.
In a tiny family run company things are a lot more informal of course and in practice anyone could be invited to contribute to decisions. Even if just as an input.
Translating that experience to a bigger company would be difficult though as the experience just isn't there.
ZultaniteAngel@reddit
I don't think it matters what OP meant by 'senior leadership.'
If they were just talking about the place they work at such as the top people who run it such as operations, store or people management then that's what they meant.
If OP was director of a small company and meant they were the 'senior leadership' of that company and it was only a family business then it would still be acceptable to say they were the 'senior leadership' of it.
Would it be the same as the senior leadership of Amazon? No. But it still counts for something.
OP could apply for senior leadership roles in other small companies because they have experience being the senior leadership of their own small company.
ConPem@reddit
Your example is completely different from the post though isn’t it? Early 20’s and a team leader is reasonable. Now imagine if that team leaders managers manager reported to an 18 year old in senior management and you see how absurd of a lie the post is. Op has already admitted lying about their age.
ZultaniteAngel@reddit
No offence but I think you're clutching at straws.
OP said they were a 24 year old team leader / operations leader. They said their actual age is a bit older. Even 24 is perfectly reasonable for an assistant manager, let alone a team leader.
My manager of store operations is a bit younger than me and I'm also around the mid-20s ballpark.
I might be surprised but he certainly fits the bill and does his job well.
Do I have some dissatisfaction about the choices I made in my life? Sure.
But I'm certainly not bitter or resentful of the fact that he's a bit younger than me and in a much better position.
ConPem@reddit
I didn’t think pointing out obvious bullshit would be this controversial to you but I feel compelled to reply so let’s do it.
Op said they reached senior management team at 18 not 24.
Op has admitted taking a few years of their real age to ‘hide their identity’
I don’t think you or OP understand what senior management is.
I can’t be jealous of OP if I do not believe them.
I retrained into a new career 2.5 years ago and I’m reaching my goals on the time scale i thought I would so I have no reason to be jealous of anyone.. I believe life is a marathon and we all have different circumstances, but I also do not believe op has reached a senior management team by the age of 18!
For reference there is a lady on the senior management in my company who is around 27 and that’s impressive, she earns somewhere north of 200k a year. If op was in senior management at any point in their life they wouldn’t have post and comment history from a year or two ago asking how to obtain a £40k a year job.
I hope this outlines the reasons why I do not believe op and you can come to terms with that fact.
ConPem@reddit
If you think this guy started a job at 16 and became ‘senior management team’ by 18 then you must have bought your fence from your next door neighbour
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
Omg I’ve already explained it was a small family run company
dnnsshly@reddit
Omg I've already explained it you weren't senior leadership
ConPem@reddit
Ok buddy
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
Yeah I worked for a small company, started when I was 16 and worked my way up. I have reduced my age by a few years to protect my identity but not slightly off. There’s no need to be so rude, it’s weird.
dnnsshly@reddit
What's weird is posting saying that you have been in senior leadership positions since you were 18, acting all surprised when people doubt the truth of that, and then saying you were lying about your age "to protect your identity".
It's a lot easier to believe that it was total bullshit which you've been called out on, and now you're trying to cover your tracks (not very convincingly).
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
I’m not trying to cover my tracks. As I explained, I started in a small company (family run) when I was 16, organisational changes happened (my manager had an argument with director and left) I then was promoted to their position as they needed the role filled quickly (it was a senior leadership position- in a small company) and I was good at my job. I grew with the company over a 4 year period and then left. I then started a new job in a bigger company, was there for 2 years, left and then started a new role.
It’s not bullshit at all, I was genuinely looking for advice, but instead of being helpful, you’ve just tried to pick me apart.
dnnsshly@reddit
I've since seen that you've said elsewhere the role was as a "team leader" in a customer service context.
The problem is that that's not what "senior leadership" means. As you've already been told. And yet you're continuing to insist that you're in a senior leadership role.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
Okay, in my first job, I reported into the directors and there was no other leadership and my role was operations manager, so I was a senior leader. In my second role, I was a team leader, in my current role I’m an operations manager. Sorry if my wording is wrong, but it doesn’t discount the advice I was looking for.
dnnsshly@reddit
>in my first job, I reported into the directors and there was no other leadership and my role was operations manager, so I was a senior leader
Nope, still not quite there. In your first job, the directors were the only senior leadership. Because their company was tiny, they had low-level staff reporting directly into them.
dnnsshly@reddit
"Here is 250 words in which I manage to give absolutely no pertinent information about my role or qualifications, lightly seasoned with self-aggrandisement. Should I quit my job and try and find a new one?"
What advice were you expecting to get?
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
Advice on the job market????
smushs88@reddit
I mean it has team leader in the title, but from what OP is posting it does sound like slight delusion of grandeur to be referring to it as >senior leadership team
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
No delusion, again started in small company, worked my way up and transferred into different companies since over the past 4 years. My age is slightly reduced to protect my identify.
pajamakitten@reddit
Why? Do you think we would be able to identify you based on your age alone?
libsaway@reddit
If you want to post anonymously, best change multiple details, not just one.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
I never really post on Reddit, so was just trying to cover myself as much as possible from my employer perspective
bobaboo42@reddit
Yeah that's a boy scouts role, for sure
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
Nope, I’m experienced in my role, not massively but have a few years behind me
dannywhaleblack@reddit
Maybe works in a primary school...
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
No in corporate offices.
Automatic_Role6120@reddit
Or coventry council lol
Funky_monkey2026@reddit
Kept getting told my contract will be extended, then told I have to wait for the spend panel to ok it. I got a call from one of my agents asking if I was interested and with the day rate offered I couldn't say no. I just didn't quit the first job. I usually need about a month to get a job I'm happy with after one finishes but now I have two contracts running at the same time.
djashjones@reddit
Depends what your job is?
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
Team leader/operations in customer service
Dependent_One6034@reddit
I'm not sure where your location is, But being good at customer services, is being a good people person, being a good people person can nab you any job.
What sort of money do you need? That's the big question.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
I’m near Liverpool. 30k upwards would be ideal
Dependent_One6034@reddit
That sounds quite easy. You could probably find a warehouse job that'd pay that rate. Or they could pay you more by selling the things that the warehouse job stores...
You got any hobbies? This might be a great time to find the job suited for you.
Remember - You don't have to wait for job openings, or online posts. You can go to literally any business you like and speak to the owners/managers. They don't even have to be advertising. But I know I and many others will take on someone who is keen, even if wasn't looking.
AdAffectionate2418@reddit
What sector/vertical do you support? General customer service (esp for retail, travel etc) is still seeing a big push towards near/long shoring. BFSI and public sector stuff is still pretty strong in the UK, as is Customer Relations and more specialist roles.
In office work is also much less competitive than WFH or Hybrid roles.
It has definitely slowed down a bit though - outside of public sector we're not seeing nearly as much growth in the UK as we used to.
RPA, chatbots, GenAI etc are also taking away a lot of the bog standard CS stuff which means there is less of a demand for team/ops leaders within the UK unless you are in a high-risk/regulated environment.
ZultaniteAngel@reddit
BFSI is being stretched thin by AI as with all white collar jobs. Physical labour jobs as in customer service are much less at risk.
Public sector roles are at risk from both AI and competition from outside the UK.
AdAffectionate2418@reddit
We've actually seen a fair amount of BFSI come back into the UK (from a BPO perspective at least) - the simple, repetitive stuff that used to go to India is the stuff that gets automated through RPA and AI. That is bringing costs down for companies whilst moving tasks up the value chain (auditing, handling complex queries outside of process etc.)
That means firms are downsizing their overall headcount in India and bringing work back onshore for smaller, more specialist teams. Overall pie is smaller (and will continue to shrink) but the UK may end up with a bigger slice proportionally speaking.
Public sector work has big obstacles with data privacy and data processing outside of the UK/EU - we are starting to see some movement on that but (for now at least) all voice work is remaining onshore. I can't imagine the general public would be too happy with their calls to e.g. DWP, HMPO etc being handled by Indian agents.
That being said - big moves happening in "accent neutralisation" happening at the moment. It can make an agent in India sound like a non-descript American, I imagine it won't be long until it can do realistic regional UK accents (as presumably it's just a matter of loading enough training data into it.
The grad student is an interesting one - if AI can't keep up with learning more complex and nuanced jobs, we're going to find we have shot ourselves in the foot in 10 years time when we have a severe lack of juniors with the experience needed to take on middle and senior roles in things like financial audits, underwriting, coding etc
minnis93@reddit
Word of advice... I wouldn't say in interviews that you have held a "senior leadership" position. Sorry to be blunt, but that is not a senior leadership position. It certainly is a leadership position, so talk about that, but when you say "senior leadership" you immediately think director, C-suite etc.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
Thank you for the advice! You weren’t blunt at all, I think I just got a bit confused
dnnsshly@reddit
Yeah, isn't "team leader" in a customer service role, like, the second rung up from the bottom?
Probably earning £32k to his team's £27k lol - "senior leader" my arse.
pajamakitten@reddit
Pretty much. It is not a senior role and barely a leadership role. It is like being assistant to the regional manager.
djashjones@reddit
I'm surprised there's much call for that as most cs is off shore.
Flat_Development6659@reddit
There's tonnes of call centre work in the UK lol.
djashjones@reddit
Really? So why is the OP having such a hard time finding another job? Every time I ring CS they are always foreign.
Flat_Development6659@reddit
He's struggling to find a job because he's 24 and has held a "senior leadership" position since 18 lol.
When you ring CS you're using cheap consumer services, that's not the expectation when calling b2b.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
I’ve only recently started looking- I was asking for general advice based on posts I’d seen. I worked for a small company from 16, worked my way up and transfered those skills into different companies, putting me in senior leadership roles. I have reduced my age slightly to protect my identity.
djashjones@reddit
Gotcha!
LuHamster@reddit
I thought the average officially now is 6 months of applying to get work.
Temporary-Zebra97@reddit
I have been recruiting for an Admin role past 2 weeks, I have received 97 applications and will be inviting 6 to interview.
Being blunt the quality of applications was piss poor with many being utterly deluded or unable to read the JD.
Footprints123@reddit
Can I send my Husband your way?
Temporary-Zebra97@reddit
Is he any good at admin?
Footprints123@reddit
That's his background. Admin, customer service, more recently data management. He got made redundant recently.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
I wish I could send you my cv to look at! I’ve been trying to protect my identity as much as possible
Temporary-Zebra97@reddit
Dont be sending your CV to randoms, with 90% of the applications a healthy dose of realism would have helped no end.
Designer-Computer188@reddit
Go on the job website and see how little roles there are advertised and how poor quality the positions are then you will see.
I was last hunting 8 years ago, and for my job, I could probably find about 30 pages of decent jobs on Indeed alone. I've been looking this year, now there are 3!
Possiblyreef@reddit
For IT jobs at least LinkedIn is far far better at splitting up the required skills for a job role than something like Reed or Indeed.
People that don't work in IT never seen to understand that no one is multi skilled enough to work across literally every facet of IT.
A network engineer isn't going to know shit about website design, a programmer isn't likely to understand VMware etc
Danandcats@reddit
But it's IT, it's all just computers, you turn them off and on and do coding and ai and stuff? You can fix my email virus?!?
On a serious note, I'm in science and yeah agree it's more difficult to do a targeted search on Indeed etc. Also to convince it I am neither qualified nor have any desire to be a teacher
pajamakitten@reddit
I was hunting at a similar time and had the opposite experience. Maybe your location is better than mine but most jobs were pretty shit when I went on Indeed. It was all just low level admin jobs that rarely changed.
maliksahib786@reddit
It took me 3 months to get a job. That was from application to offer date. Think it varies with industry. Good luck!
12Keisuke@reddit
never leave a job before you have one lined up, obviously if made redundant that different. but honestly shooting yourself in the foot.
Unlock2025@reddit
Depends on the situation in your current role.
adambeany@reddit
I can only speak for myself but it took me around 6 months to find my current role (digital marketing - first “real job” since graduating) and 75 applications, while working part time as a bartender.
Out of those 75 applications I had a handful of phone/video interviews and only 2 in persons. For context I would consider myself a good entry-level candidate (maybe biased). Went to a good uni, good grades, some additional training.
English_R0se@reddit
So I was made redundant in August last year and didn’t start looking until September due to burnout. I’ve been looking since and have applied to over 700 jobs (all that I’m perfectly qualified for and have experience doing, and yes I’m tracking using a spreadsheet) and I still haven’t found anything. The market is absolutely awful and this is from a professional with 12 years of experience working with some of the world’s most famous brands and even working under some celebrities. Granted I did take roughly 3 months off searching - two because I had an operation and had to recover and one because it was my 30th birthday and I felt significantly burnt out by the process. So I’d say I’ve been properly looking for about 6 months. But still I’ve been trying extremely hard. But the attitude of recruiters and companies is different these days and they don’t care to get back to you. As an example I had an interview in April which went very well, they wanted me to come back for a second round but I’ve chased them 3 times for an update as they haven’t got back to me and they keep saying they’re waiting for sign off from their execs. Just a load of bs. I can’t see an end in sight but I’m trying not to let it get to me.
libsaway@reddit
A few months, but I applied slowly because I had the time. Scored a 30% raise.
baines_uk@reddit
February - applied for 1 job and got it.
Ended up not liking it and leaving 2 weeks ago. Applied for 12 last week and sign my contract for 1 on Monday
pajamakitten@reddit
What is your industry?
baines_uk@reddit
Hospitality. But I’m at a general management level as opposed to bartending / serving so jobs are a bit more thin on the ground
Enough-Ad3818@reddit
Last month, one of my teams had a vacancy. There were 279 applications, and all but about 15 were AI generated, churning out the same phrases, in the same format, using the same key words etc. It was nauseating.
Despite stipulating on the advert that the role wouldn't be sponsored, we had lots of candidates who didn't have a visa to work in the UK.
We've come to dread recruitment, because we just get flooded with AI slop.
pajamakitten@reddit
Because the advice for years has been to use the same key words in the advert. People all use the same key words because that is based on the advice they have been given.
ahktarniamut@reddit
But are recruiting teams not using AI as well to comb thru applications?
Enough-Ad3818@reddit
Some probably do, but I choose not to, as the AI detection is not 100%, and I don't feel it's fair on candidates to leave their prospects up to how good they are at ticking off AI criteria. I'd rather read an application, look at their employment experience (I'd likely know a couple of their previous employers in my field), and score them based on what their experience and such are.
Hitting keywords is fine, but it simply tells me you can fit keywords into an application and not what your skills and experience are.
Jolly-Raspberry-9842@reddit
What give it away that AI is being used ? I try to completely avoid it now
Enough-Ad3818@reddit
Usually that there are hundreds of applications that use the same phrases all the time. AI is good, but when so many people are using it to apply for jobs, the results are largely the same.
It's ironic that it loves to start a paragraph "What sets me apart from my peers is my unique blend of...", and yet you've read the same thing in hundreds of applications before it. Nothing unique there!
moonfarmer89@reddit
I was made redundant at the end of November last year, and knew it from the start of the month so I was applying from the start of Nov. I was in finance, so was applying on everything - linkedin, recruitment websites, directly on companies websites. From the start of Nov to end of Jan I’d say I applied for at least 100 jobs and got maybe 2 rejections back? It was insane compared to the last time I was job hunting which was only in 2023! Just seems awful and a lot of fake job posts on linkedin especially.
Ironically enough the only job that got back to me was one I applied to in an industry that’s notable for a very very long recruitment process on a whim and not expecting to ever hear back from it - offered the job in Jan.
jackcharltonuk@reddit
Are you in your probation period? I don’t think it sounds like they’ve got grounds for dismissing you or terminating you if it’s just ‘not a good fit’. Do they have a formal performance management process?
Solitaire_XIV@reddit
Very easy for companies to let staff go in the first 2 years of employment, without much reason. 2 years is when you become a lot more protected
powpow198@reddit
Just wondering how you are in the senior leadership aged 24 and since 18...
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
I worked for a small company, worked my way up and then there was organisational changes and they needed me to step up to manage the teams of admin, customer service and expenses- I worked really hard when I was an advisor so knew the role like the back of my hand. I then left when I was 22 after gaining a lot more experience and growing with the company- moved into a senior team leader role for a bigger company, stayed there for 2 years and now then started this role (I am slightly older than 24, just wanted to protect my identity)
BaBaFiCo@reddit
It really depends on the role. I was looking earlier this year and got to final stage in four and offered three of them.
Haberdashery_@reddit
Last year it took three months and 200 applications. I could only get a contract role and it was a £15k pay cut. Coming to the end of the contract, I started applying and it took me four months and 300 applications. I finally made back £10k of the pay cut and got a permanent job that I wanted, but it's rough out there.
lavayuki@reddit
It took me three months and 200 applications. Many friends and people I know have had similar or worse, so yes I think the job market is currently bad.
Not sure why exactly, but most people I spoke to about this had to look for ages. My brother was the same as well, I remember him looking for months and sending hundreds of applications before finding a job.
Mobile_Turnover6773@reddit
It's pretty grim!
I finished up a 12 month contract last year, I started looking for work a couple of months prior. It took 4 months and about 80 applications to get a job.
It SUCKED. We had a baby on the way and were trying to buy a house lol.
aspiegator@reddit
Agree with this. All my contractor friends are in the same position.
I'm currently working on 75% of my normal rate. And that's after 12 months of looking.
BigFloofRabbit@reddit
Which area are you in?
Definitely not a problem getting a job in hospitality or care work at the moment, even without prior experience.
BigFloofRabbit@reddit
It isn't too bad in my area, at least. I recently decided to get an evening job for some extra holiday money and most of the pubs/restaurants seem to be hiring if you go in and have a chat with them. I could pretty much choose whatever was most convenient.
Wobblypeanuts@reddit
Can you not try to find a job whilst keeping your current one? Why take the risk if you don't need to.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
I’ve probably got enough in savings to get my through 3/4 months without work at a push
Majick_L@reddit
Just so you know, you can still claim unemployment benefits while having savings of up to £6000
Willeth@reddit
The £6000 limit is a cap for Universal Credit, but New Style Jobseekers Allowance has no limit and is not means tested.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
I don’t think I’ll be in this role much longer based on conversations I’ve had- might get a couple weeks at best
Wobblypeanuts@reddit
Ah okay, my bad. Your wording made it seem it was sort of mutual decision. If there's even a chance they could try to support you in your role rather than let you go, then take it. Job market is pretty rough, need as much headway as possible!
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
I’ve known from the start the role wasn’t for me and it’s really wore me down- I still don’t quite understand what I’ve done wrong in all honestly but the stress is getting to me
Wobblypeanuts@reddit
OK, if leaving is the only option, then having a good 3/4month buffer is helpful. Maybe you'll get lucky and/or will land a job much easier than is usual at the moment. But the doom and gloom you see isn't nonsense, best be prepared. If needs be, what's the easiest job you could land if that money runs out? Scope out these jobs as back ups whilst applying for proper suitable roles, you can always leave when you find something decent.
AngryBlackLotus@reddit
To put it bluntly, the job market is cooked.
To other people’s points it might vary based on industry.
From my personal experience it took me 10 months to find a new role after I was unceremoniously made redundant due to cash flow issues.
My first 5 months I was very passive in my job search as I was exploring entrepreneurial ideas. As my savings was dwindling I pivoted back to corporate roles. Several interviews and many times made it to the final stages with raving reviews only to be told they found someone that had a bit more experience.
I was incredibly discouraged but kept trying.
Use a recruiter if you can. I personally hate all of them but they can provide you leads.
When looking at LinkedIn or Indeed for jobs, go directly to the website and apply there. Follow up with the hiring manager or recruiter on LinkedIn.
Applying directly on LinkedIn has an abysmal success rate. Most recently they acknowledged how their ATS system works and reduces the candidate pool.
Your best bet, is directly on the companies website.
Keep your head up and be consistent. You will find something great soon.
formallyhuman@reddit
I highly recommend trying to find a good recruiter. My last three jobs have all come from the same recruiter (he put me forward for two roles this time round and I got offers from both). From what I understand, actually directly applying to stuff at the moment is a nightmare. If you can find a good recruiter, you at least know you're going to get an interview and, if you're a good interview and get an offer, that recruiter will also want to work with you again in the future since they know they will make commission off you.
amaidhlouis3@reddit
Check out ukjobs subreddit
sv21js@reddit
My partner was made redundant the week of Christmas and has been applying for everything he’s seen ever since. I’m not sure how many applications exactly but a lot. Several interviews but no luck yet.
Screwballbraine@reddit
I've been job hunting now for two years and I still don't have one. I've done extra training, I'm learning to drive I've done full "we'll get you into a job" courses. Nothing. If you can avoid leaving don't leave. It's shit but there's nothing out there rn
coaty79@reddit
I'm 45 now got made redundant over 2 years ago after working at the same place for 25 years. I've sent off 193 applications had 43 interviews and no offers. I'm disabled and you can see it when you go into the interviews and you might as well turn around and leave as it's a waste of both of our times.
tylerthe-theatre@reddit
Yes it is that bad and AI.
DexterDapps@reddit
If you come on reddit everyday and believe the doom and gloom then yes it is
bobaboo42@reddit
8 months, as a senior earning deep into six figures. I secured 3 jobs, turned one down in favour of another, which was then retracted, lost the race in another process, interviewed two places I decided I didn't want to work mid interview. Then finally secured two job offers and picked the one that was WFH rather than spending the week in a hotel away from home
I've never been in this situation in 25 years of my career. Fun times /s
msac84@reddit
I got made redundant in mid May, got an offer 3 weeks later. I start the 7th (originally the 1st but my manager is away).
RockasaurusFlex@reddit
I have a great CV and pretty reasonable expectations, but I had some time out with my child... I had a couple of weak responses from multiple dozen attempts.
V0lkhari@reddit
I'm happy enough with my current job but have been searching for a new one for a while just due to lack of fulfilment and wanting to be in a different sector. Have been looking since September last year but still no luck.
I've had 5 interviews and multiple application rejections so I'm still searching, but I am being quite picky about the jobs I want as I want something better than my current one. This maybe says something about my experience / interview skills more than the job market... but I do know the jobs I've applied to have had a really high volume of applicants.
When I was last unemployed a couple of years ago I was able to get a job at Sainsburys within a few weeks of searching, but I had a lot of previous retail experience and I'm not sure if its still as easy to get that kind of work.
summerloco@reddit
It depends if you’d want to and what your relationship was like with your previous employer / manager but could always be worth reaching out to see if there are roles going there?
It’s not uncommon for redundancies to happen and for companies to then backtrack and realise they went too far with cuts.
Bowden11@reddit
In April/May 2025, I applied for 7 jobs & was offered an interview for 4 of these positions. I turned down 1 interview and did the other 3 and was offered 3 jobs all on more money than I’m currently on. This was for Facilities Management roles in the South West.
CardiologistWhole908@reddit (OP)
That’s good to hear that you’ve been successful! How did you get into facilities management?
Bowden11@reddit
At the age of 23, I started the role as an administrator for a large Facilities Management company - after a year or so, I asked for other responsibilities which included doing some Contract Management work. I made friends with the Supervisors, Account Managers & Contract Managers and they helped me with growing my knowledge and assisted with any issues I had with my contracts. After 2/3 years, I made the jump to a new company where I was physically on site and could learn first hand everything I was managing, I was also very fortunate to have an incredibly helpful manager who had been in the industry for 35 years - for the past 5 years, he’s taught me soo much of what I know now and that’s when I started applying for other jobs.
BaldyBaldyBouncer@reddit
I'm not sure many companies are recruiting 24 year olds to join their senior leadership team.
cgknight1@reddit
It varies greatly by sector and skill base.
Demiboy94@reddit
Even to find menial jobs part time like shelf stacker and cleaner I sent over 30 job applications with no luck. And I have previous kitchen experience cleaning. Finally have a job now. Just took 6 months.
PM-me-your-cuppa-tea@reddit
I started looking for a role mid May and I started my new job last week.
I applied to a lot of random jobs as I was panicking after hearing how bad the market was.
I applied to maybe 8 jobs seriously, ones that I spent time on and seemed most aligned to my experience.
I got interviews at five and offers from all I interviewed at.
So the market isn't great but there's hope!
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
I did it the study route - nightschool college while working full time in a crappy job. Was worth it but this was in 2010-2012, things may have changed since then.
I would say though that income is the most important thing. Every month you manage to make the mortgage payment is a month closer to your complete financial security. if I were you I'd evaluate all my options while prioritising savings and the mortgage
melancholyy-scorpio@reddit
Yeahhhh it is. It took me 8 months to get a job last year, finally found a job I'm content with, and now I'm being made redundant. Haven't been there long enough to get a payout so I started looking in May when we found out, and it's probably shitter than it was last year.
I personally hate Linkdin. I can't figure it out and I literally get spammed with emails so much it makes me delete my account, even after unsubscribing.
You are still so young, with so much decent experience already, so don't panic. Figure out the parts of your previous jobs you've liked, and search for job roles that are heavily based around them. Something will come up for you.
Old_Distance6314@reddit
It's pretty bad,l was at Toll for 33 years but left after my partner had emergency surgery, l took a week off to care for her and they complained l should have got a carer to visit her in hospital Anyway that was two years ago, I've done a little traffic controlling work, but the longer you are there the fewer shifts you get. To the point last financial year l earned about 5k
Temporary-Ear-5787@reddit
AI posts and troll farms out of Russia and Iran
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