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Ask HN: Has the tech recession affected you?

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Re: Ask HN: Has the tech recession affected you?

#41

Post by ermir »

ermir wrote: post #26

Struggling a lot with the response rate, once I could get one interview in three applications, now it's one in 50. I am hoping that it will pick up this January since everyone is making plans for the entire year. I was told by a manager in a large startup that they plan to complete hiring for the whole year by the end of February, and it might be the case for the entire industry.

For anyone wondering about the best times to apply, conventional wisdom is that January is the best time, since it's planning season for the whole year, and then around August, to get some quick help to reach the end-of-year goals. Of course this is anecdotal and applies in normal circumstances, which I don't think the industry is at.

Re: Ask HN: Has the tech recession affected you?

#42

Post by VirusNewbie »

operatingthetan wrote: post #10

I keep hearing whispering of an "AI boom" happening soon on HN but don't see in the real world. Has anyone seen signs either way?

Well I work at a FAANG and at the beginning of the year (after our round of layoffs) we were more or less told "no growth, flat headcount, no spending money, lean times, austerity etc" and now I'm hearing "ok we need to hire some (albeit slowly) and we need to spend some money for this AI thing".

So maybe "boom" is the wrong word, but it sure seems to have put a stop to the outright austerity mindset.

Re: Ask HN: Has the tech recession affected you?

#44

Post by throwaway347598 »

Here in Europe things look a bit more quiet than usual but not too bad: I still get contacted by recruiters almost every week, my company is hiring and people around me are still finding decent jobs.

I wonder if this is mostly a problem in the American VC/startup world.

Re: Ask HN: Has the tech recession affected you?

#45

Post by NotSammyHagar »

CoastalCoder wrote: post #37

I was laid off (for the first time) 9 months ago, and I still haven't found a job. I don't live near a major city. This wasn't a problem when remote work was the norm, or when I could wait for the right remote job to open up. But in the current environment it's a major headwind. I'm also starting to get concerned about how employers will perceive this long of a job gap. And the psychological aspect of this long of un…

I think companies are much more selective. They were looking for non-manager work much more than lead. I have done both so shifted myself to look for IC work.

Re: Ask HN: Has the tech recession affected you?

#48

Post by softfalcon »

I haven't been laid off, but a good chunk of my team was.

Anecdotally, I'm hearing lots of stories of companies laying people off and then there are new openings very similar to the position that was let go, but with lower salaries or where one person would be expected to do the work of 2-5 previously laid off folks.

In particular, a person I know from EA Games saw half their department let go, and then replacements appeared a couple months later. All of them had lower pay and were less skilled. This all reads like quarterly profit optimizations by a bean counter up top looking to make the shares look good.

Re: Ask HN: Has the tech recession affected you?

#49

Post by slyall »

Company I was with (200 employees) was running out of runway and funding round didn't work out so they laid off around 30% of employees in February 2023 including me. They seem to have stabilized and their new product is finally online (delayed by regulator mostly).

Took me 2 months to get a new job. Applied and interviewed at a bunch of places, mostly local, some remote. Finally got a job with one of the first places I applied for (I think my initial recruiter left which delayed stuff). Largish Tech company in Enterprise space, I'm in a "Follow the Sun" Ops team.

Re: Ask HN: Has the tech recession affected you?

#50

Post by silisili »

personjerry wrote: post #38

Keep in mind this thread is heavily affected by selection bias; Those who aren't affected have very little reason to contribute.

Great reminder. I opened it thinking 'nope', but had no reason to comment so, especially amongst a sea of heartwrenching stories.

It's still valuable data - it tracks that it's harder to land an interview these days.

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