A really good post, Oliverson.
I hope I can expand on one point without negating anything else.
The notion of pressing F5 on Jobserve over and over might be exactly the problem.
In the day, we could afford to be lazy and use only Jobserve.
But the market hasn't simply gotten worse with nothing to do but sit it out, as many posters seem to be saying.
The market has _changed_. Gradually, but constantly and profoundly. For the better in some ways.
We have to adapt to that, and not keep tapping F5 and doing nothing else.
I'm embarrassed to post these tips on a professional forum, but in case any these points are missing from your routine:
- Scour other job sites besides Jobserve. Linkedin and the individual agency sites are useful. Also corporate sites, they usually have a Careers page with roles.
- Update your CV, and keep it up to date. Put your phone number, email address and linkedin profile link on. This is not the time to be precious about distributing personal details.
- You do have a Linkedin profile, right? Fill it full of all your roles and associated skills and connect to people. I know Linkedin is pain in the posterior with all the psycho corporate tulip. Do it anyway.
- Send it out in response to every job that looks remotely possible. The goal is to get it into as many hands as possible. If it gets you a call or an interview, great. When posters here complain about hundreds of applicants for each posted role, that is what everyone else is doing. Getting their CV distributed.
- Respond to the messages from agents on Linkedin. Even the stupid lowball ones, even if it’s to say the role isn’t suitable. Send them your CV too, and ask them to keep you in mind.
- Enjoy the process. I’m aware that’s weird, but I really like interviewing. I like talking to other techies and business people (even agents) and discussing what problem they are trying to solve.
- Stop thinking about the only outcomes to phone calls and interviews being rejection or a job offer. Instead, it’s two parties working out if they are a good fit for each other and the role. (Anecdotal: I recently interviewed for a role, and we both agreed that I wasn’t a good fit due to a marked lack of detailed AWS skills on my part. But they called me back the next day for another role, which I’m in now. So a good interview.)
- Stop turning your nose up at FTCs, working for a consultancy, Inside roles and permie jobs. OK, maybe the permie jobs..
- Attend those wanky tech seminars advertised on Linkedin and every bloody place. The subject matter is often interesting, and you can shmooze with other IT people.
- Lots of free training and lectures online to upgrade your talk, if not your skills. I like the Microsoft Power Platform courses, there are also some good (but simple) free AI courses on Coursera. Whatever moves your particular area ahead.
- I rarely (but occasionally) get a gig through my network of professional colleagues, but checking in with them all is certainly on my rota.
- To the posters who worry about the stench of desperation and lack of confidence, it’s true that exhibiting this in a call or interview is not good. The good news is that the difference between being confident and acting confident is exactly nothing. Truly. Practice and see.
- Don’t be a dick. Don’t be entitled, desperate or as PerfectStorm found, grumpy.
That’s it really. Every day.
I work in buildings full of contractors who do this.
I hope I can expand on one point without negating anything else.
The notion of pressing F5 on Jobserve over and over might be exactly the problem.
In the day, we could afford to be lazy and use only Jobserve.
But the market hasn't simply gotten worse with nothing to do but sit it out, as many posters seem to be saying.
The market has _changed_. Gradually, but constantly and profoundly. For the better in some ways.
We have to adapt to that, and not keep tapping F5 and doing nothing else.
I'm embarrassed to post these tips on a professional forum, but in case any these points are missing from your routine:
- Scour other job sites besides Jobserve. Linkedin and the individual agency sites are useful. Also corporate sites, they usually have a Careers page with roles.
- Update your CV, and keep it up to date. Put your phone number, email address and linkedin profile link on. This is not the time to be precious about distributing personal details.
- You do have a Linkedin profile, right? Fill it full of all your roles and associated skills and connect to people. I know Linkedin is pain in the posterior with all the psycho corporate tulip. Do it anyway.
- Send it out in response to every job that looks remotely possible. The goal is to get it into as many hands as possible. If it gets you a call or an interview, great. When posters here complain about hundreds of applicants for each posted role, that is what everyone else is doing. Getting their CV distributed.
- Respond to the messages from agents on Linkedin. Even the stupid lowball ones, even if it’s to say the role isn’t suitable. Send them your CV too, and ask them to keep you in mind.
- Enjoy the process. I’m aware that’s weird, but I really like interviewing. I like talking to other techies and business people (even agents) and discussing what problem they are trying to solve.
- Stop thinking about the only outcomes to phone calls and interviews being rejection or a job offer. Instead, it’s two parties working out if they are a good fit for each other and the role. (Anecdotal: I recently interviewed for a role, and we both agreed that I wasn’t a good fit due to a marked lack of detailed AWS skills on my part. But they called me back the next day for another role, which I’m in now. So a good interview.)
- Stop turning your nose up at FTCs, working for a consultancy, Inside roles and permie jobs. OK, maybe the permie jobs..
- Attend those wanky tech seminars advertised on Linkedin and every bloody place. The subject matter is often interesting, and you can shmooze with other IT people.
- Lots of free training and lectures online to upgrade your talk, if not your skills. I like the Microsoft Power Platform courses, there are also some good (but simple) free AI courses on Coursera. Whatever moves your particular area ahead.
- I rarely (but occasionally) get a gig through my network of professional colleagues, but checking in with them all is certainly on my rota.
- To the posters who worry about the stench of desperation and lack of confidence, it’s true that exhibiting this in a call or interview is not good. The good news is that the difference between being confident and acting confident is exactly nothing. Truly. Practice and see.
- Don’t be a dick. Don’t be entitled, desperate or as PerfectStorm found, grumpy.
That’s it really. Every day.
I work in buildings full of contractors who do this.
it's uber hard to run a profitable coffee shop and loads of them go under. Hard to find people who want to work in them and with coffee reaching super high prices recently, you'd be hard against chain competition + need a very good location. If you don't mind loosing money, sure, go ahead 
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