Finding A Job in Tech: A Modern Day Dante's Inferno

It's no secret that the job market in tech is in turmoil at the moment.

Last week I received a rejection from a company for a developer job in Berlin. They told me that they had to shift through more than 500 applications. We've all had to face rejections in our job search, but when you hear that a company shifted through more than 500 applications for a local job role, it makes you wonder how deep the problem lies.

When you're applying for a job locally, it can be difficult to know whether the competitive environment you are competing against is localised, or more a global phenomenon. However, it's clear that this is not a Berlin issue. For example, software company Cambium Applicable Innovation, based in southern Israel, advertised an entry-level job role for 72 hours and received over 700 applications . So why are there so many applicants?

It can be broken down into two: a surplus of candidates and lack of available jobs.

One obvious reason for the surplus of candidates is the success of coding bootcamps. The concept for coding bootcamps started around 2011 in response to the growing demand for software developers, and longevity of obtaining a Computer Science degree. However, in recent years coding bootcamps have exploded in popularity due to the increased demand of developers during the Covid pandemic. As it stands, according to Forbes, the coding bootcamp market is projected to grow to almost one billion dollars by 2030 .

It's hard not to see the attraction of bootcamps. They promise an exciting career change into an industry known for its high salaries within a space of just a few months. It's no wonder then that, reportedly, in the USA alone 60,000 students graduated from coding bootcamps in 2023 . But if jobs are plentiful, why are these same students struggling in the job market? The fact is, the job market isn't what it used to be.

It's really no secret that there have been tech layoffs recently. According to Tech Target, between 2022 and 2024: there have been more than 500,000 tech layoffs worldwide , which is a colosal figure. One reason for this is the overhiring practices of companies during the pandemic. As they saw an increase in online users during Covid, it led to a greater demand in online services. With this greater demand, came more feature request and thus a higher demand for developers.

However, now that we are no longer under Covid restrictions, the demand has fallen sharply and with it, the revenue. Thus, those same jobs that were needed during Covid became redundant.

Of course another more popular reason is the rise of AI, but this is more of a headline grabber than the actual truth. Despite what the tech-illiterate CEOs will say, an AI app cannot replace a developer, as I've said in another article . Also, according to Bloomberg, tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft are failing to show investors the profitability of AI . Nevertheless, what perplexed me after I finished a coding bootcamp, was its repeated claim of the vast treasure of junior tech jobs, as when I entered this landscape I felt completely fooled.

A common theme with junior jobs that applies to all disciplines is that you need experience to get experience. It was something I knew a long time ago when I was a graduate. At that time I didn't realise that getting a master degree in history was seen by companies as useful as spelling my own name - which a lot of companies get wrong by the way but I never complain. In fact currently around 63% of all entry jobs require 3 years of experience. A junior job is very much a doublethink of being experienced enough to be inexperienced. But companies have their reasons.

For instance, it ultimately comes down to trust and whether they can view you as a loyal employee. Of course you can take measures to ease their anxiety such as working on your own projects, contributing to open source or volunteering at an organisation (all of which I do). But, as youtuber Dev Mentor Dave says, they want to also make sure that you won't leave the company within one year of joining . It's therefore easier to trust a candidate who already has a few years tech experience at a company, as they have both shown loyalty and ability to code responsibly.

There is also the trending use of 'ghost jobs'. 'Ghost jobs' are job positions published by a company in which they have no interest in filling. This could be either because they already have an internal candidate in mind, or if they simply just want to be seen as by investors to be a growing company with endless opportunities. It's also a possibility that there isn't even an open position and they're just waiting for their unicorn candidate, who possesses knowledge of an infinite number of coding languages .

Yet this isn't the only reason why a candidate might be rejected and to be frank, it becomes a lot more impersonal and robotic.

The rise of Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) is the main reason why an applicant doesn't even reach the first interview. ATS is an automated tool that can scan multiple CVs and rank them according to the company's preferences. These preferences can range from desired skills and experience to location and even more questionable preferences, such as personality type. It seems like an impersonal approach to processing CVs, however when you read at the start of this article that some positions received more than 500 applications, how else can a team filter through such a large volume of potential candidates.

Even so, it completely detaches the human experience of applying for a job which was so previously prevalent.

There's been a lot of doom and gloom in this article but don't be afraid. I think it's better to validate an applicant's feelings that the job market is indeed in turmoil, rather than gaslight them that there are hundreds of jobs and they just need to work harder.

If you need motivation, watch this Primeagen's video (former Netflix engineer) where he discusses the plight of Junior Engineers and how there is hope .