State of the Market

[dsc]

Bit worrying that even zwift are laying people off. This might be due to a massive downturn in the cycling world, it was peaking during COVID years and now the effect is being felt.

Although during winter, it also has an uplift.

Isn't it the typical "we keep growing 1023987019238921% each year and will continue to for the foreseeable future, so lets hire a million people" approach so often seen in the "tech" world? Then they realise that not everyone needs / wants XYZ product / subscription as being able to afford food is a top priority.

[quackhandle]

"Works on my machine" is never a good response.

"Try another browser" is the new "Turn it off and on again."

qh

[willendure]

I think I have rarely ever seen the market so depressed - this is on a par with dotcom bubble ending or 2009, and supposedly we are not even in a recession (yet).

Great Italian restaurant near me I have been to many times and has been there for at least 25 years, shutting down and the building is for sale. Survived Covid, yet now folding? Feels like I see so much of this at the moment. Yet everything is simultaneously so expensive, particularly housing and rents.

I reckon the USA is about to hit the buffers hard, somewhere 3 to 12 months out from now, and the rest of the world will surely follow.

[simes]

By the time of the dotcom crash, and the swiftly following 9/11, I had only just started in contracting and so did not have much a CV. That said I was out of work for only four months following each 'event'.

Indeed, I crashed out of the telco industry after the dotcom mess, and then, having found a project in the travel industry, crashed out of that too after the twin towers came down. I was genuinely concerned just which industry I would contribute to its demise just by being a part of it...!

As to the 2008 mess, I was lucky enough to cruise through that blitz.

But now, this is far worse. With what I am told is an impressive CV, there is nary a call, and zero response to the issuance of CVs.

Roll on 2025...

[oliverson]

By the time of the dotcom crash, and the swiftly following 9/11, I had only just started in contracting and so did not have much a CV. That said I was out of work for only four months following each 'event'.

Indeed, I crashed out of the telco industry after the dotcom mess, and then, having found a project in the travel industry, crashed out of that too after the twin towers came down. I was genuinely concerned just which industry I would contribute to its demise just by being a part of it...!

As to the 2008 mess, I was lucky enough to cruise through that blitz.

But now, this is far worse. With what I am told is an impressive CV, there is nary a call, and zero response to the issuance of CVs.

Roll on 2025...

Something will turn up, it always does. Seen this thing a few times. My last stint was 17 months on the bench, some by choice but not all. What I have learned in all this is there's no point stressing about contracts that aren't there. If they aren't there, they aren't there and no amount of pressing F5 on Jobserve is going to fix that. Network as much as you can. Go back to old contacts. That eventually got me out of a hole in the financial crash and stopped the rot. Be active on LinkedIn.

[willendure]

With what I am told is an impressive CV, there is nary a call, and zero response to the issuance of CVs.

Can relate. I rewrote my CV last year, then did some CV writing workshops at the start of this year and refined it again. I honestly think my CV is now stunning and everyone I send it to should be falling over themselves to call me. Sent it recently for a job that was a perfect match but no interview yet...

Haven't had a cold call from a recruiter for maybe 6 months. It used to be annoying all those calls, and I know some contractors even would have a looking for work burner phone that they could switch off when not looking!

I suspect AI is playing a bigger role in the hiring process nowadays and it is entirely possible that a great CV is getting canned by a lousy AI. Got a reply from a recruiter not so long ago claiming he had found my CV in his spam folder - must have sent that guy a CV >10 times over the last couple of years. At least now I have his direct contact details..!

I actually have a decent contract at the moment. Just getting itchy feet and looking for something else. I dare not leave the current one without something else lined up because I think this market is going to continue for quite some time. I could be wrong, but I think major recession on the way and that means a recovery at least 18 months from now.

[willendure]

Be active on LinkedIn.

Do you think this helps? I tried to make it explicit that I am a contractor on LinkedIn and checked the option for Contract Work only. All I got was emails from recruiters for permie roles...

I actually deleted my LinkedIn last year, since I got fed up maintaining it. Was possibly a bit hasty in doing that...

Have you ever found a contract through LinkedIn - or networked contacts through it that led to a contract?

[Cookielove]

LinkedIn has changed a lot I got fed up of it all it was becoming like Facebook people's life stores, pics of away days/weddings/kids and quotes of the day ..... a lot of inane drivel. Plus a big rise in number of sob stories as people out of work and can't feed kids etc/no xmas in this house type stuff.

I'm toying with deleting my account altogether...

[Cookielove]

I had a few calls/emails but nothing that actually came to fruition...

[Fraidycat]

he had found my CV in his spam folder - must have sent that guy a CV >10 times

That's why your CV was in his spam folder