Thread regarding Qualcomm Inc. layoffs

I was job hunting for a year before I was hired on.

The global tech sector will continue to move roles offshore, so focus on smaller companies where you are not competing with those lower cost geos. Also, focus on industries that are growing such as healthcare, hospitality and construction.

"Now, it is completely different. Everyone seems to be asking Leetcode-style questions and the type of questions being asked is NOT something that most of us work with on a regular basis. "

This is not very relevant for the work.
This type of interviewing hides the interviewer's lack of knowledge of concepts that are important for the work.
Any person can look up questions on the internet, see the solution, and ask them at an interview. You have to ask yourself what does the company actually make.

It is indeed really tough. I was laid off last year around this time and I got a lower-paying contract job. Something is better than nothing. A lot of people have written good posts on the overall situation. One additional point that I would like to make is that the interview process has gone to he-l. I last interviewed about a decade ago and things were very different. You would be asked questions based on your depth of knowledge on fundamentals of CS\EE, programming languages and asked to write a few lines of code on the whiteboard. If the position that you are applying for closely matches the work that you were already doing, you would be primarily asked questions based on your past work experience. You would typically study for a few months to brush up basics and you stood a good chance at clearing these interviews.

Now, it is completely different. Everyone seems to be asking Leetcode-style questions and the type of questions being asked is NOT something that most of us work with on a regular basis. Who the f uses trees and graphs and tries, especially in an embedded environment? Yet, you get asked these questions even for low-level positions. I got asked a tricky dynamic programming question on an interview for a position involving low-level device drivers. So, you need to now prepare for these questions like an exam. It takes time to get used to it. People solve 500+ questions to attain any kind of proficiency. Also, merely coming up with a 'reasonably working' solution is not adequate. With the large number of candidates available, interviewers expect you to pretty much have a 80-90% working solution in a 45-min period. Off late, you either get a hard question or two medium questions. Unless you have seen these problems before and solved something similar to it, there is little chance of getting a working solution in a short period of time.

Also, some of the interviewers are absolutely d-mbf-s. They will mug up the solution to a Leetcode problem and expect you to come up with that solution. If you offer a solution that is different (but equally optimal in terms of space and time complexity), then some of them get utterly confused. They seem unable to think on their feet. They will still push you and prod you to come up with the solution that they mugged up. Are you supposed to read their minds? In other words, luck also plays a huge role.

It is a huge mess now. Personally, I am not going to interview again unless the market improves. It is just not worth it for me.

If you are over 50, then health problems may have reared their ugly head (or they are about to). For your sake, hopefully you have lived beneath your means, saved money and invested properly.

If not, well you know ...

Regardless, who wants to work in corporate America (or any other country for that matter) for any longer than you have to. Life is too short for that.

I was let go in Dec 2023 and still looking. Most of my friends still also have no jobs and many have had more than 1-2 interviews. Competition is aweful and you see 200-400 apps for each job at the good companies.

I also have friends laid off in April 2023 also no offers and are planning to move from San Diego since do little hiring here.

If you are over 50 you have a 20% chance of getting a job while if over 60 you have a 2% chance.

Also be when they see you are coming from Qualcomm. Your chances are also lower. Q has a terrible reputation of giving employees very narrow job duties doing the same task for years and never growing. Like writing a touch screen driver for 20 different chips. After the first what do you learn?

Good luck you are gonna need it.

I have a couple of suggestions:

1. Update your resume and LinkedIn profile with your Qualcomm experience and skills.
2. Use RetirementJobs.com or the AARP’s job board, which focus on opportunities for older worker, since 40 years old + is considered older in the workplace.
3. Maintain a positive attitude, focus on your strengths, and stay active.

Past 8 years have been a bubble with loose hiring. Always have a backup plan.

In general, yes it is tougher when you are older. Employers balance your years of experience against other things, like: 1) your energy levels compared to a young person, 2) family commitments compared to a young single person, 3) the new fresh perspectives that younger people sometimes bring with them from recent contact with school professors, 4) young people tend to be more enthusiastic, while older people have become a bit jaded, and most of all 5) you are EXPENSIVE, whereas a younger person (or an overseas person) will be cheaper.

Plus, right now there are multiple, repeated layoffs in the tech sector, combined with more offshoring compared to when I was younger.

I know all this from (long) personal experience.

Over 50? Time to retire.

Market is always tight…..it is about skill sets….there were bad phases before and bigger set of layoffs

Be prudent and start your search now. Currently, it's a tight job market. :(

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