| I think you are facing problems that many other senior candidates are facing in this job market. The number of candidates on the market is at a high, and companies are being extremely picky about who they want to hire. Add to this the fact that expectations of senior candidates have risen, sometimes unrealistically high. Perl is a dinosaur, and will not get you as many job opportunities as something more recent. But the programming language is hardly the stumbling block. Most shops know that experienced people pick up languages, frameworks etc. easily. Here are some suggestions:
- Building/operating software on AWS is really becoming a basic skill most people are expected to have nowadays. You could get an AWS certification that shows you are serious about building skills in the area. - Apply to jobs on LinkedIn. You will get a better selection of jobs that are tailored to your needs, and I have found that recruiters respond to LinkedIn applicants a bit more. - Consider a job with a nonprofit org, such as a university. These places have more legacy software, and are also unable to compete with the open market. You will face a reduction in pay perhaps, but you can get back into a job, where you will have a stronger negotiating position. - Not having a job somehow makes you less attractive to recruiters and hiring managers. It's bizarre, but go figure. If you interview with the goal of getting hired anywhere and get yourself into a job, you will strengthen your hand considerably. - Try not to reveal that you are unemployed when you initiate a conversation with a firm. |
Agreed. I would add to your list of suggestions in that OP could do some short term contracting.
Whenever OP then choose to engage with recruiters for permanent positions again, they casually broadcast the signal of "I'm in a middle of a contract right now but also exploring options rather than automatically agreeing to extend it".