[borroka]

At first, I was a bit selective about my applications (meaning I was applying to maybe 5 positions per week, not one per month), but in the last six months, I have sent dozens of applications for positions (real or fake, I don't know) that I thought were appropriate for my skills and experience (director, manager, some senior IC positions, not even staff). I have no problem relocating; I could do so in 15 days (I currently live in California).

I also contacted hiring managers via email and LinkedIn, but I received virtually no response.

At this point, you might think that there is something wrong with me (professionally speaking), that I have a bad reputation of some kind, but that is not the case.

The market is clearly telling me that there is no need for someone with my credentials on paper. Many people find jobs, even quite easily, and millions of people are employed in the tech industry. But thousands of people in the tech industry are also looking for jobs every day and have a stronger network than I do. Either they are looking for you, or they are looking for someone like you, and in the latter case, there are you and hundreds of others. Have I really tried everything? No, but I've tried a lot.

I want to make it clear that I was presenting my case in response to a question and that this is not a “poor me” post (in fact, I am anonymous and there are no links to my real identity). I am in a privileged position: I have decent savings and can get by for quite a reasonable time, but it is certainly quite disconcerting, disorienting, frustrating, and, frankly, sometimes humiliating not even to get an interview, or a call back.

[marojejian]

Thanks for your frank comments. There are a lot of people in your position for the first time, I think, and many more to come. It sounds quite undeserved and is rather a symptom of our poor system. All I can say is I think it's likely that someone like you (who I read as both cognitively and emotionally intelligent) is likely to adapt and will thrive eventually, both due to your characteristics, and because the system isn't that broken, and will also adapt. Good luck, and don't take it personally.