The job market sucks…

[Anonymous]

There’s nothing out there. I’m going to have to halve my salary to get anything at this point… probably more. I haven’t been laid off yet but it’s coming once the dust settles on the end of the fiscal year (contractor). I feel so defeated.

And the fact that the federal RIFS are now official makes it all the worse.

Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Yep. Trump has declared war on Americans. He wants there to be an underclass. He wants you to pick up a vegetable harvesting job to replace the immigrants.

[Anonymous]

My question is who is going to buy/rent all these expensive apartments and homes being built in the dc area? ESP Montgomery County?

Whom has a job to pay these rents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep. Trump has declared war on Americans. He wants there to be an underclass. He wants you to pick up a vegetable harvesting job to replace the immigrants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My question is who is going to buy/rent all these expensive apartments and homes being built in the dc area? ESP Montgomery County?

Whom has a job to pay these rents?

No one. And the developers would rather take a loss and a tax break than offer a lower rent.

[Anonymous]

I had to dumb down my resume just for an administrative job at a hospital. It’s depressing.

[Anonymous]

Okay, DH is a fed in the field and let me tell you that it sucked before this. The difference here is that it is now happening to you. I don’t think it should be happening to you and it’s terrible. But don’t “misremember” the good old days of last year when the country was riding high. It’s been tough (not impossible but very tough) for years.

This is not to say that’s it’s right or you don’t have cause to be very upset. This is to say that other people have been struggling and this wouldn’t be new to them.

[Anonymous]

Yes. The white collar govt and contract support class is being decimated with the RIFs and USAID closings etc etc. defense is just fine though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, DH is a fed in the field and let me tell you that it sucked before this. The difference here is that it is now happening to you. I don’t think it should be happening to you and it’s terrible. But don’t “misremember” the good old days of last year when the country was riding high. It’s been tough (not impossible but very tough) for years.

This is not to say that’s it’s right or you don’t have cause to be very upset. This is to say that other people have been struggling and this wouldn’t be new to them.

I'm sorry other people have been struggling in various fields, but it's a denial of objective reality to say this is just the same as, say, 2023 and the OP only notices because it affects them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, DH is a fed in the field and let me tell you that it sucked before this. The difference here is that it is now happening to you. I don’t think it should be happening to you and it’s terrible. But don’t “misremember” the good old days of last year when the country was riding high. It’s been tough (not impossible but very tough) for years.

This is not to say that’s it’s right or you don’t have cause to be very upset. This is to say that other people have been struggling and this wouldn’t be new to them.

It’s way worse now than it was two or three years ago. Though it took me a long time to get an offer around 2021-2022, I was getting lots of interviews (and there were lots of jobs to apply to). In 2024, I got a good paying remote job on LinkedIn. (Laid off after a year.)

Now there are very few jobs to apply for, tons of fake jobs on LinkedIn, one rejection email after another. I’ve gotten three interviews out of 31 jobs applied to in the past few months. All pay considerably less than what I was making before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, DH is a fed in the field and let me tell you that it sucked before this. The difference here is that it is now happening to you. I don’t think it should be happening to you and it’s terrible. But don’t “misremember” the good old days of last year when the country was riding high. It’s been tough (not impossible but very tough) for years.

This is not to say that’s it’s right or you don’t have cause to be very upset. This is to say that other people have been struggling and this wouldn’t be new to them.

I'm sorry other people have been struggling in various fields, but it's a denial of objective reality to say this is just the same as, say, 2023 and the OP only notices because it affects them.

The PP is right that the white collar market hasn't been good for some time. I think the DC white collar market specifically is worse than before because of the RIFs and people just wanting to get out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is who is going to buy/rent all these expensive apartments and homes being built in the dc area? ESP Montgomery County?

Whom has a job to pay these rents?

No one. And the developers would rather take a loss and a tax break than offer a lower rent.

Bankruptcy and bailouts. when people say what do you mean the system is set up to protect men.

[Anonymous]

This is the OP.

I was supposed to talk to a recruiter today which was scheduled last week. She canceled at the last minute. It's probably not a job I would be able to get anyway... but everything just sucks.

And yea, I feel bad for everyone going through this. I've been at my firm for 15 years. It has been stable work and I have been promoted every 2-3 years like clockwork. And now I'm looking at jobs paying about the same as when I started. I look overqualified for them (because I am). I can't help feel like the last 15 years have been erased and the only way to get a job at this point is to make my resume look like I'm junior to midlevel instead of senior level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the OP.

I was supposed to talk to a recruiter today which was scheduled last week. She canceled at the last minute. It's probably not a job I would be able to get anyway... but everything just sucks.

And yea, I feel bad for everyone going through this. I've been at my firm for 15 years. It has been stable work and I have been promoted every 2-3 years like clockwork. And now I'm looking at jobs paying about the same as when I started. I look overqualified for them (because I am). I can't help feel like the last 15 years have been erased and the only way to get a job at this point is to make my resume look like I'm junior to midlevel instead of senior level.

I’m the PP in the field. I had to take a step down last year, going from a Director to a Program Manager in order to make a transition. I did that for a year. I was recently hired to return to my previous level. Not everyone has to do this, of course. But for me it worked well and it was worth it for the transition I needed to make. So, it may not be great in the moment but it could all work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the OP.

I was supposed to talk to a recruiter today which was scheduled last week. She canceled at the last minute. It's probably not a job I would be able to get anyway... but everything just sucks.

And yea, I feel bad for everyone going through this. I've been at my firm for 15 years. It has been stable work and I have been promoted every 2-3 years like clockwork. And now I'm looking at jobs paying about the same as when I started. I look overqualified for them (because I am). I can't help feel like the last 15 years have been erased and the only way to get a job at this point is to make my resume look like I'm junior to midlevel instead of senior level.

I’m the PP in the field. I had to take a step down last year, going from a Director to a Program Manager in order to make a transition. I did that for a year. I was recently hired to return to my previous level. Not everyone has to do this, of course. But for me it worked well and it was worth it for the transition I needed to make. So, it may not be great in the moment but it could all work out.

How did you frame being willing to take that step back? I’m a senior VP. I will go to Director if I have to and cut my salary in half if I have to but I fear folks look at my app and go “why is she even applying for this”