I’ve been let go 27 weeks now. No interviews and no offers. I had one call back but with no decades long experience managing VMWare, that prescreen was over in 5 minutes.
18 replies (most recent on top)
@jc A friend that use to be a recruiter said the rule is, 1 month for every $10k you want in salary. Right now the OP is about at $70k salary. She said the rule never fails. Well, I can tell you it does fail-to the better- 7 months unemployed, $250k job accepted. So, hang in there OP!!!! Keep applying to the jobs you want to take. Agree, volunteering only takes time away from looking for a job that pays the bills+. You got this!!!!
I stated "no volunteer work" in that posting because there is no room for that kind of activity in a survival situation. I realize that volunteer organizations have long application processes these days, but the fact is that time has value. I can't speak for the OP, but if I'm looking to put food on the table there are lots of jobs that don't require lengthy background checks and stuff like that...just sayin'. You get hired fast, work 2-4 weeks and get paid for your time. The OP is counting 27 idle weeks so far.
@k9
Layoff depression is real. Another biggie that people tend to avoid talking about is marital problems and even divorce.
It doesn’t matter how cautious you were and how much you saved, not working can deplete your savings.
Hang in there OP. I don’t know what your circumstances are or if you have any disability which will curtail your ability to switch careers but another line of work would be something to consider.
@an
“ Get a job, preferably one that pays money (no volunteer work). ”
Try applying for volunteer work and see the new reality. They will ask tons of questions and make you fill out endless paperwork for background checks and still you might not get any offers.
@ab First was System engineer when that was a title but left and joined Consulting when i came back.
Some already beat him up. One can give great, actionable advice without being mean.
I know someone that lost his job recently and he got super depressed (it happens, and not saying that this is the case) so sometimes being strong without being mean is more effective and means a lot to the person. Perhaps the person is going through some other stuff as well. Who knows?
We don't know what our words can cause.
That's just my 2 cents. It's OK to disagree.
"This will also pass."
How long should one wait for it to pass? The common advice is to have six months of backup funds, but the OP has already been on the bench for that long. They need an action plan that will bring in some money...not soothing words from a web forum.
I was going to write the exact same thing.
People can be so insensitive. Is it really necessary to treat other fellow human beings with such disdain?
What happened with treat people the way you want to be treated?
OP, I wish you the very best. Your job didn't define you and the situation you are going through right now is not who you are either. It's just circumstances and many capable people are going through the same right now. This will also pass.
Bless you.
You could join ICE, $50K signing bonus, and go after H-1Bs who took your job
Statistics shows in this job market, IBM rejects end up working flipping burgers, working at Walmart or driving trucks etc…
To the Aholes trashing the OP ! FFS Stop it
Plenty of good people in all industries have been laid off and some multiple times
This isn’t normal. Millions rack up college and many grad school debt just to be laid off
Doesn’t matter if you have only a bachelors or MBA.
I had to do side hustles when I was laid off for 13 months
And the hiring HR process is another mess. Some firms make people go up to 5 rounds of interviews , then people get ghosted
The entire system is broken
There's good money in CS!
Working in IT is not for everyone!
Spot On ! The job market is exploding with unemployed IT workers as more and more jobs have been taken over by AI, layoffs, new grads and more and more people hit the street looking for work. Other industries have been impacted too - government, biotechs, retail, restaurants, travel. They are all getting hit as the job market contracts and people have less disposable income. Salaries have gone down too. Mergers and acquisitions of "good" companies are up. Hard to say what the next big thing is going to be - tariffs ? LOL.
It's network, network, network and do whatever you have to to keep yourself afloat. It's a tough economy with a lot of headwinds out there. But you have to keep pushing hard every day. You might get a break eventually.
As the magician said to the princess: "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince"
Tip: Work your network. Call everyone you've ever worked with and re-connect. This is the only way to find a job these days. Applying to jobs on LinkedIn is a waste of time. 90% are fake jobs posted solely to satisfy regulatory requirements for an H1B or PERM application, to prove no Americans are available for the job.
Quit sŋiveling. I'd be getting a job the next day as a valet parking cars or bringing up luggage at the hotel nearby. Maybe cutting grass in my neighborhood. I'd never just give up and wait for something after 7 or 27 weeks. Gets old sitting at home and postiŋg such rubbiśĥ. You control your destiny
Fact: Most IT fields are overloaded with excess staff. Like legal services and aerospace engineering, there are too many candidates with credentials that are better than yours. It's a buyer's market, and employers have their pick of all the litters that are out there.
Let's simply your numbers and say that you've been looking for 6 months without results. You need to survive, and the best way to survive for you is to think like a shark and look for a job wherever you can find it. It might be in the IT industry, it might be digging ditches, or it might be sweeping floors. In this economy, beggars can't be choosers, and you're probably close to a beggar if you're posting tales of woe on this forum. Get a job, preferably one that pays money (no volunteer work). You need the money, and you'll never need to apologize for it in future job interviews. Take off your IT hat and put on your street hu----r's hat. You'll be glad you did.
Oh, and by the way...VMware's name might as well be MUD after the Broadcom purchase. Just saying...fortunes can change real fast in this line of work.
Sorry to hear this. What was your role at IBM?