[CM30]

It's been pretty brutal recently, as someone who's been applying to jobs in the last few months or so. Requirements for roles seem to be far higher than they used to be, with even Frontend or Backend specific ones requiring knowledge of 2-3 languages or frameworks associated with the other side. Salaries seem to be lower than they were a few years ago, with many terrible jobs being advertised with salaries that no one could live on in the areas they're based (London from my experience).

The actual process has been just as bad too. Lots of jobs have hundreds of applicants, regardless of the amount of experience or number of skills required. Many won't get back to you at all after applying, meaning the only way to tell if the job has been filled is if it vanishes from online portals. And even for those that do respond, it feels there are a lot more companies rejecting candidates at the drop of a hat, or ghosting them after the first or second stage of the interview process.

Recruiters do seem to have started calling more often than earlier though, so it seems like there may be a tiny bit of improvement compared to the end of 2023/start of 2024. But still, in this climate, my advice would be to only change job if you're very confident things will work out, and to rely on contacts and networking rather than formal application processes. Any option to skip the 'apply to an online listing with hundreds of other candidates and pray' setup is going to be a lifeline about now.