Thread regarding Fiserv Inc. layoffs

It took me 1 month, but I was referred by an employee, who use to work for Fiserv, so it didn't take as long as if I didn't have a referral. Work from home and $50k more in salary and I am doing the same job for a Fiserv competitor.So embarrassing for Fiserv! Don't give up!

I have been applying on and off since about 2024 when a project I was a part of took my soul away from me. Not too many interviews this time around, and not too many prospects. It is very tiring. And then back to fiserv the next day.

Had around 5 interviews after a year of looking and all the offers that were extended were low ba--s. I then got lucky as a recruiter reached out to me from a different industry thanks to my education not being in business/finance/CS ect…now I’m a completely different industry that gives me more autonomy and the ability to earn more.

@dz thank you again for your candid response. I would say, I’m somewhere between a desk jockey and high impact professional. Climbing for tittle is not really my thing but think I can figure things out and get things done. Sounds like I might be on a bumpy ride for bit.

I casually applied for about 8 months. I had a few referrals, but most of my success came from applying directly through company websites. I focused more on the quality of each application rather than the quantity, paying attention to what the employer seemed to care about most and tailoring my resume around that. That made a big difference with direct applications. I was also surprised by how many recruiters and hiring managers actually read my cover letters and specifically mentioned them when deciding to interview me. They could tell it wasnt AI generated nonsense. I had a high impact at Fiserv, so it was easy to build my resume around real accomplishments without needing professional help. Those same experiences gave me strong examples for both technical and behavioral interviews. If you just were a desk jockey for 8 hrs then you're going to struggle in this market. Work shows.

Most companies had at least three rounds of interviews. The company I ended up joining had 4 rounds + 2 casual calls.

@b7 Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Do you have any recommendations for professional resume writing services?

Took me 6 months. Apply directly on website. Get your resume written by professional. I was not getting any hits as soon as I had new resume I was definitely getting calls/emails. I had 6 different interviews at different company’s. 3 were not for me I pulled out. The other 2 went 4 rounds of interviews never heard back nothing I was shocked they didnt even have the courtesy to email or call stating they went with another person. The last one 4 rounds they made me take a knowledge test i
got the offer. Better pay and really good company and normal.work hour 9-5 Monday to Friday. Make sure you dont have a non compete here otherwise you may hit roadblocks in our field and 4 out of the 6 companies asked if I had a none compete. The job I took was for a corporation so I had no issues. Good luck.

@ak this is awesome. I agree with you, literally a tiny cog in the system. good for you.

@ak what business did you build? And what skills are needed for that?

I got laid off end of 2024.

1.) Didn't start applying - was sick of the disgusting corporate culture, nepotism, and micromanaging I encountered so I decided that being a cog in the system and depending on some corporation for my livelihood wasn't what I wanted to do.

2.) Overall approach was to leverage my skills and use them to build my own business

3.) I didn't do a single interview or application. didn't feel like competing with hundreds of other people for some role that was going to get me the same BS I experienced at Fiserv.

4.) The thing that made the biggest difference was trusting and believing in myself and my capabilities. As well as my knowledge about the business environment.

5.) I wouldn't do anything differently - getting laid off was a blessing. I now make more than double what I made at Fiserv and work my own hours and have a ton of fun doing it every day.

Good luck out there

It's horrible, recruiter calling before 1st round and saying position on hold. Or rejectioms after 3 rounds!

I mean this is almost impossible to say given we don't know what your experience is. Are you a developer? A call center rep? An administrative assistant? A VP? How good the job market is going to depend upon what jobs you are targeting based on your experience/background. If you're a developer, you are probably going to have a tougher time as the market is saturated. The job market overall does seem to be in poor shape at the moment. Nothing beats networking and referrals though.

The biggest issue I have with today's job market are the hoops they are requiring candidates to go through now. 4 rounds of interviews are becoming more common? Then possibly making presentations/projects for said interviews? It's absurd.