Job Hunting

I’m a bit cynical when someone who has been in work for three years gives job hunting advice.

Not because their experience is invalid, but because of how much the market changes.

I’ve been in a unique situation recently. Being made redundant before my probation ended meant I was suddenly job hunting again less than four months into the role. I’m still relatively early into my career, but this period has felt completely different to anything I’d experienced before.

I’ve been fortunate enough to get quite a few interviews, but the weird steps afterwards have honestly surprised me more than the rejection itself.

I’ve been ghosted by companies after multiple interview stages. I’ve had recruiters arrange interviews that never actually got booked in. I’ve had companies disappear for weeks, then randomly come back asking if I’m still interested. I’ve had “we’ll let you know by Friday” turn into complete silence.

The strange part is that most people still talk about job hunting like it’s a clean, predictable process where effort directly equals outcome.

Sometimes it is. A lot of the time it isn’t.

It feels like a lot of companies are under pressure, constantly changing direction, freezing budgets, restructuring teams or trying to figure out what they even need. But instead of communicating that properly, candidates are often left in limbo.

And honestly, I think silence is worse.

Most people can handle rejection. What drains you is uncertainty. Wondering whether to move on mentally, whether an interview actually went badly, or whether the role itself even still exists.

The experience has made me realise job hunting is far less of a personal reflection than people think. Timing, internal politics, budgets, manager changes and company uncertainty all play a massive role behind the scenes.

So now when I hear ultra-confident job advice online, especially from people who haven’t searched in years, I take it with a pinch of salt. The market they experienced might not even exist anymore.