IT job market stinks

[fatal xception]

[rant]Looking for a job in the IT arena right now is the pits (so is being out of work).

Send out , oh, I don't know how many resumes, had a couple of interviews, but nothing.

Right now I am looking at taking a job with a bank doing financial assistance (no selling, just incomming inquiries).

Funny thing is I had to take a test to gauge my skills. The lady warned me that getting a 70 was good, but they were looking for a 75 (which was appearently really reaching). If I didn't get the 75, they could work with me.

I took the test and finished quite a bit before they said it would take me. I scored a 88 (and I know which one ?'s I missed). They were impressed and all I could think is "What kind of dinks do they get here?"

Oh well, it's only a 4 month stint. I really hate to think during that period that I might get something better. Don't like bailing during a commitment.



[/rant]

All job markets stink. We've already started the layoffs before the holidays. Just wait for the war to begin and the country tumbles to 10% unemployment like the early 1980s.

[Theophylact]

Job markets come and go. I got my PhD in 1968, and took a one-year postdoctoral position. At the end of that year, the academic job market had dried up. Five years before, friends were being placed by their research directors in the jobs of their dreams. Two years before, they were getting teaching jobs at places like Stanford, University of Michigan, UC Berkeley. One year before, it was Wayne State or SUNY (Buffalo). But in 1969, it was basically nowhere.

I applied to 165 schools. I got three job interviews.

(Ultimately, I was offered all three jobs and took one, but I was one of the lucky ones.)

fatal xception, this isn't a good time either. But they do come and go, if you can weather them.

[Epyon9283]

Originally posted by shahani
All job markets stink. We've already started the layoffs before the holidays. Just wait for the war to begin and the country tumbles to 10% unemployment like the early 1980s.

Isnt war usually an economy booster?

Only for those sectors whose products are in demand in wartime-arms, airplanes, and defence stuff.

Overall, people react to the war by postponing major expenses and only spending on necessities like food/clothing/shelter. The consumer durable (cars/appliances/electronics) industry has a bad time- I think this is more psychological - as people defer spending, don't travel, and so on. All these cumulative effects lead to a huge slowdown in the overall economy particulary in a consumer spending driven economy like the US.

As I said earlier in some other thread, the defence related industries will do very well- companies like Lockheed, Northrup Grumman, Boeing, Martin Marieta as will oil companies. If I was investing money that's where the profits are in the next 3-4 years.

War is BIG money for people with interests in oil and defence contractors.

[Theophylact]

War is BIG money for people with interests in oil and defence contractors.

...hmmm... can't think who that might be...

[Ruler2112]

I've been looking for a while too... there isn't much available in my area.

What really gets under my skin is that I was getting calls requesting interviews (out of the blue) when I was working at my old job. About 3 months before I was fired for refusing to skip my final exams, they stopped.

[NeoStarO1]

ya the market is pretty bad right now, even in PDX. everytime I have looked in the paper there have been no more than 3 positions advertised. seems to me there should be more.

[wingsfan]

I can almost feel your pain. I am a Civil Servant for the Air Force doing Telecom work. For the most part it's pretty secure, especially when you are considered to be a "veteran". But I almost lost my job, because I was the low man on the totem pole, and I was getting bumped by someone who was getting bumped from another base. Nice domino effect, eh? But it just so happened, at the same time we had someone retire. So I got lucky and kept my job and the individual who was originally going to bump me out took that position instead. You are never safe, ANYWHERE!

[jman01pa]

This time last year I was in the same boat. I had moved from Pa to Ky jobless. I submitted resumes a month before I left to all the big companies I could come up with in my area and I live in a decent market.

After getting here I searched the paper daily and beat down doors trying to just get a chance to talk with someone. No one would give me the time of day. I bet I submitted 150 resumes. I was getting pretty scared.

I made it through the holidays with little money in my pocket, living in a buddies basement.

Between Christmas and New years I started getting calls. Before New years day I had three job offers and they all looked good. All I had to do was pick one. I started work on Jan 3 and am still holding the same position.

This is a bad time of year. Most companies budgets are spent for the year and cant hire if they wanted to. Be persistent, keep pounding the pavement and dont give up. The job offers will come.

Good Luck

Jay