I've been through this as well. I went through a stage where I could have multiple job interviews in a week, sometimes on the same day.

I could tell it was the end of the month because recruiters would start calling, and even in the middle of the month after job ads had been up for two weeks.

Then when you do progress a step employers want you to jump through more hoops than ever now. And they're surprised when you push back because you either still have work or other things going on. I'm not going to give a business free labour on the off chance they hire me, I'll do your exercises for you when I'm getting paid.

And all the platforms you need to sign up for. I use a password manager and some software shares the same URL, but accounts are separate. You either use a bunch of different passwords and can never tell which is which, or compromise yourself by using the same one over and over.

I know the applicant tracking platforms by look now, and I can tell which I can apply through easily and which will have problems with the way my resume is formatted. Some of the worst software I've ever used, the industry as a whole.

Sorry to hear you're feeling crap.

I'm having trouble looking for work for the past few months. Very few replies, the first "no" I got actually made me feel a bit more human.

I'm convinced that some of the jobs I've applied for or enquired about are not real or just for external-advertising-before-hire requirements. I've gotten some rude responses after daring to ask questions (eg: jobs funded by research money tend to have fixed funding start dates that might not be for another several months). Most straight up ignore me.

An old boss of mine thinks that my CV isn't conforming and mundane enough, so I'm giving his suggestions a go.

What sort of work are you looking at? I design electronics and get into arguments with computers.

I’m sorry, bud, that sounds awful.

I’m in the middle of my third month unemployed now. Sent out a bunch of applications and had some HR interviews but man, no one wants to pay even what I was previously making let along anything liveable.

One place was a referral and they liked me a lot but, only slightly paraphrased, “didn’t want to start our partnership on the wrong foot by offering too low a salary”. Like bro you’ve already insulted me just give me the fucking offer and let me decide. Another place got to the second interview and it all went great and then I was ghosted and no one answered my follow-up email.

Every job I see wants me to work on-site 2hrs away from the city in some small town for pennies. And that’s only if I’m lucky enough to see the salary! The rest hide them so people who are more desperate than I am low-ball themselves in order to not scare away potential jobs. It’s so completely fucked up.

Not a single damn company will even acknowledge that inflation is real so I cannot afford to take lower pay just to watch it get worse every single year. The answer to every single one of our fucking problems all the way down to toxic masculinity I feel can definitely or at least probably be answered by PAYING EMPLOYEES PROPERLY SO THEY AREN’T CONSTANTLY IN FIGHT MODE. I see things like “how to increase the productivity of your workforce!” and just think pay them and give them the basic respect they deserve as living, breathing human beings and they’ll happily do a lot for you.

Companies are entitled. They clearly can’t afford to exist if they can’t pay their employees but instead of shutting down with grace they tell us it’s our fault. It’s fucking insane.