Looking for a Job Is Tough

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Engineers and tech workers describe an unusually harsh job market, with seasoned candidates facing months of unemployment, opaque processes, and rejection from roles that would have been easy wins a few years ago. Commenters point to rising interest rates, widespread layoffs, the collapse of junior roles, AI-filtered applications, and a preference for referrals and in‑office hires as key drivers. Many argue that hiring has become more arbitrary and keyword-driven, pushing people toward aggressive “spray and pray” applications, side projects, entrepreneurship, or even leaving the industry altogether.

Overall Market Conditions

  • Many describe this as the toughest tech market they’ve seen, worse than 2019–2021 and in some cases rivaling past recessions.
  • Senior roles are fewer; junior roles are “virtually none” in some regions. Some see modest recent “thawing,” but still intense competition.
  • Several with strong backgrounds (FAANG, successful exits, significant side-project traction) report months of search, hundreds of applications, and long gaps without offers.
  • Europe (esp. parts of Norway, central Europe) is perceived as somewhat easier in some niches, but salaries and mobility are lower; remote EU roles also shrinking.

Networking, Referrals & “Who You Know”

  • General agreement that warm intros and referrals increase odds of at least getting an interview.
  • Some report referrals not helping much unless the referrer is close to the hiring manager or senior in the org.
  • Others say their network produced reconnections and advice but almost no concrete opportunities.
  • Critique: relying on networks entrenches nepotism and disadvantages those from weaker backgrounds or who built fewer in‑person ties pre‑remote.

Age, Experience & Hiring Bias

  • Older devs (40s–50s) feel especially squeezed: viewed as expensive, “less hungry,” or flight risks by younger managers.
  • Counterpoints stress that ability varies more within age groups than between them; blanket age assumptions are seen as ageism.

Interview Processes & AI

  • Many find interviews “weirded” rather than simply harder: arbitrary bar-raising on style/cleanup, opaque scoring (“pass” but no offer), and culture/psych questions.
  • Some hiring managers now assume remote candidates may use AI in interviews and explicitly ban it; others argue interviews should mirror real work, where tools, docs, and AI are used.
  • Criticism of leetcode-style tests and memory-heavy questioning; some advocate deep discussions of past work or structured take-homes with live walkthroughs.

Remote Work, Relocation & Offices

  • Remote roles are perceived as greatly reduced, especially in EU mobile/iOS niches; many companies are back to office‑only or hybrid with rigid policies.
  • Candidates often must choose between relocation (with housing and family tradeoffs) and prolonged unemployment.
  • Some view insistence on in‑office SF/NYC roles as wasteful and exclusionary; others note companies can demand this while talent oversupply persists.

Outsourcing, Recruiters & H1B

  • Strong frustration with third‑party recruiters (often offshore): rigid keyword matching, lowball rates, poor communication, and processes that “go nowhere.”
  • Critiques of offshoring and H1B use: claims of wage suppression, replacing domestic teams with cheaper contractors, and misalignment with “skills shortage” rhetoric.
  • Some comments devolve into broad negative generalizations about specific nationalities; others explicitly challenge these as unevidenced and warn against racist drift. A moderator reminder appears about avoiding ideological flamewars.

Coping Strategies & Alternatives

  • Many treat job search as a numbers game: high-volume applications (dozens per day, hundreds total), modeled as a probabilistic funnel.
  • Advice: customize resumes, manage expectations, probe process clarity, culture, tech stack, and remote policy early; treat slow, disorganized, or opaque processes as red flags.
  • Several turn to entrepreneurship (e.g., niche SaaS reaching seven‑figure ARR) or non‑profit/volunteer work; others consider leaving software entirely (gardening, farming, military, non‑tech jobs) due to burnout and repeated rejection.