I am on the market for a new role, and I just need to vent and say this market has been exhausting. I send over 200 emails a day, have applied to over 1000 jobs, made it to many final rounds after 6+ interviews for some and nothing yet. I have over 10 years of experience working with top brands and I am not a new graduate. I don't know what I am doing wrong, but this has never happened to me in all of the years I've been employed.

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Remember in the good old days when experience was valued and actually sought during the job search process? Fast forward to the digital age where emphasis is on the budgetary bottom line. The hiring managers will not tell you the reason they are "going in another direction" is because you're 40 years old with almost 20 years of experience, That would be "discrimination." They won't say we are "focusing on a youthful image." Nope. Ageism. If they say anything at all, it'll be something like "You're overqualified for the job." Translation: I can get a 22-year-old fresh out of college to do the same thing I'd have to pay you twice as much to do." I may just be cynical. I'll tell you that I am using any prayer credits I've built up over the years on petitioning the Big Guy to make sure I don't have to go back into the unemployment line. It was hell when I was 35 and still had a full head of hair. Now I'm 48 and half my hair has gone gray and the other half has just gone.

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I have been in the job market for a couple months now and it really has been so exhausting. Never have I ever had such a hard time finding something else. It’s one thing to get turned down for one offer or something, but it’s been countless times at this point.

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The market is the worst it’s been in decades, so remember that.

I don’t know enough about your situation so take this with a grain of salt… but a thought I have when I read 100 daily emails and over 1000 job applications: there’s no way to do that volume and maintain quality.

Maybe do less, but spend more time on each. This may increase your chances and be less exhausting.

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Ok well I’ve been freelance for 15 years and since 2023 it’s literally disappeared so…

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Sorry to hear that you're going through such a tough time. I really don't think that you're doing anything wrong here, and the fact that you've been able to reach so many final interviews is a sign that you're doing things right. The market is just truly that competitive right now and a lot of people are struggling. Nothing to do but keep playing the numbers game and hope you land something. It's only a matter of time, though it may be a long one.

It's a really strange time to be looking for work. It's true that unemployment is at record lows, but some sectors are being hit hard despite that. And while the economy is good by the numbers, more than half the country wrongly believes we're in a recession. Which affects the way people spend, and that ripples through everything. Anyway, perhaps you should really focus your search, do more research on where you are applying. Concentrate on quality, not quantity.

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