After 3 months of unemployment I got an offer letter yesterday. The market is absolute hell, there's soooo much wrong with it, but still some companies are hiring.
There are a few things I wished I knew before starting the job hunt though: 1. The AI situation is absolutely fckd up. Companies use AI tools to filter resumes, some even want you to sit through an hour long call with an AI where it monitors your facial expression, eye movements, etc. Candidates using AI has made companies switch to "classic" forms of interviewing, with multiple rounds of interviews and with absurd theoretical questions and assessments. BUT THERE IS A LIGHT IN THE TUNNEL. 2. "If you can't beat em, join em". I used an AI tool to generate answers to the interview questions in real time during meetings, I also applied to a ton of AI-focused companies. I noticed that mosr startups and even bigger companies pivoted towards adopting AI in some form or another, to maximally increase their investments, cause VCs are all in on AI right now. So yeah, AI-adjacent companies are hiring, they have cash, and they are desperate for employees. And the more desperate the employer the better for us. 3. There are still a ton of global remote jobs, if you can't find something locally don't limit yourself. Tons of European and Asian companies are hiring, and there is an interesting trend emerging - Saudi Arabian, European, Asian, Dubai, etc companies are looking to hire WESTERN talent, from the US and Europe. Because they want quality. They realised that always outsourcing jobs won't work for everything in the long run (God I hope more US and European companies realise this too). 4. LinkedIn is unfortunately still the place you're most likely to find a job, but not via applying imo, but by searching for recruiters' posts. That way you can find the most desperate ones that won't waste your time. 5. There are still compassionate strangers out there. I shared my personal story with unemployment and my life situation currently and a lot of strangers offered to help in my job search and actually referred me to places.