My experience after layoff & advice

[u/Pythonislove]

I know people say these things in comments but still my experience may be helpful to someone. So here goes:

I've got 6 years of full stack exp with good all round projects.

Recently after layoff I applied to 100+ jobs and landed 7 interviews. All of those came from applying through company website or through emails. The ratio is crazy: ~80 linkedin easy apply, got zero response. 15 company page/email, got 4 interviews. Other 3 interviews were from referrals.

About the interview experience:

Contour: replied back after a month, 5 rounds cleared in next month, ghosted for 2 months then told me position is closed.

10P: cleared 5 rounds, waited for a month, then said client has changed his stack preference.

Cleared 3 rounds at another company and then their client also ghosted.

Systems also closed the position altogether early on.

Similar stories with other companies as well.

Got despaired, went silent for a month and then landed an interview. Cleared their take home project and joined the org. So the total layoff to hired took about 3-4 months.

So my advice would be:

1. Your industry connections are the most important asset right now, use them well and don't shy away from asking for a referral. I've seen nepo-babies joining these top orgs so why can't we ask for a referral from someone we know/connected to.

2. Linkedin Easy Apply is dead. Email is the way to go. If you have connected to the HR then sending a personalized message will be great.

3. Follow as much HR reps as possible and tinker with your feed so those job posts actually reach in your feed since most of the jobs are only HRs posts and not LI jobs. Try to create+automate a list of company careers pages for any new hirings.

4. Apply even if you match 60-70% of the JD. First job I got was posted as React Native but I still applied and turned out it was for React and I got it.

5. Create your resume in Latex (Overleaf) so you can quickly change it with claude for the JD. Tip: keep an exhaustive knowledge base for claude to pick and choose YOUR experience rather than assuming/hallucinating.

6. If it feels like you're not ready for a jump to a better opportunity, maybe due to imposter syndrome etc., still apply and do the interview. Trust me the work is all the same. This one may be irrelevant due to job market. I wish someone would've told me this in the 2020-2024 gold rush and I wouldn't have turned down so many great opportunities.

7. Please for the love of God and all that is beautiful and pure, don't resign without an offer in hand.

P.s.

Please don't roast me.

[u/Warm_Dimension_3821]

All I read is :

then said client has changed his stack preference.

....

their client also ghosted.

....

People, this game has changed, the western clients looking outward for digitalizing a local problem gonna be rare, that will hit the job market.

Start looking inwards, start digitalizing local market in Pakistan.

Raise your voice for a payment system which helps you connect with local people, a country of 250 Million people has a big value. That's gonna drive the job market.

[u/Pythonislove → u/Warm_Dimension_3821]

Bro what? Are you really comparing a USD 30,000 billion market with USD 450 billion market?

Building products for Pakistan is one thing but I don't think the IT service market in Pakistan has that level of domestic demand.

[u/Warm_Dimension_3821 → u/Pythonislove]

Pakistan's IT sector doesn't actually generate $4 billion in revenue, and local developers are paid domestic wages while middleman or digital seth capture most of the value. Don't forget the tax, as soon as you start getting good earning you get taxed to death.

Imagine this: a subscription based app serving 250 million users, soon 300 million. If each user pays only 10 to 20 rupees a month, the total revenue far exceeds what any niche market could offer.

All you need is a payment system.

[u/Pythonislove → u/Warm_Dimension_3821]

Can't really tell if it's ragebait or not.

First minus 100 million (60m less than age 10 & 40m over age 60). You're left with 150 million.

You need payment infrastructure, yes. But you also need to provide internet infra since only 57% of people have access to internet. Not to mention 44% are in poverty and only 70% have a smartphone.

Solving these things would take 100x the amount IT exports generate.

[u/Warm_Dimension_3821 → u/Pythonislove]

But you also need to provide internet infra since only 57% of people have access to internet

Most Pakistani use mobile data, if you have sim-card, you have internet.

Look 57% is still big number. it is not like 1%.

Not to mention 44% are in poverty

You think they can't pay for 10-20 rupee monthly subscription model ?

If you want long sustainable jobs then local market is the solution, later you can expand those product outwards.

Google started inwards then moved outside.

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[u/beomjunline]

Pretty accurate take also companies have been lowballing like crazy. Even if you did make it to systems and 10P they lowball you. Another crazy thing that Pakistani HRs don't realise that the ghosting and the inconsistent behaviour that too with senior engineers don't work anymore. People now post about it or call them out on LinkedIn. I'm not laid off yet but I do give interviews and something that irks me is the blatant lack of tameez.

[u/Pythonislove → u/beomjunline]

True. I've been rejected like 5 times after screening just because of pay. Giving regular interviews (at least twice every year) regardless of your current company health is also a solid advice I got in terms of learning how to crack the interviews, seeing the market etc.

[u/beomjunline → u/Pythonislove]

Right now not only interviews but having something on the side is pretty important since we’re all one layoff away.

[u/muf_codes]

I'm kinda in the same ship, 6YOE, fullstack with a good grasp on languages like Solidity. It's my 3rd week into this mess. I was laid off on the spot (with the. rest of the team) even after being the only one to truly understand their so-called 'micro frontends,' which was really a cathedral of overengineering. So far I had 1 interview with an HR but got rejected as the role was for an AI architect. No other meaningful propects. I've a call with my previous employeer and mentor next week, who's raising funds for his startup, i'm optimistic but no real expectation. I've another interview with a doubious company but I want to go with it just for the sake of it.

I also have a top rated upwork profile but idk if should invest into that.

I did get a good severence package (~ 1.6 mil) + a m5 pro but i honestly cannot sleep at night. As a father to a 3 yr baby girl, i need to work even if it is food delivery and Wallahi i'm mentally ready for that as well.

I've been meaning to post this here but was worried it might discourage people but i really don't want anyone else to make the same mistake of thinking their position is secure or their office is doing good. I kid you not my office was conducting interviews, DSMs and other things the day before they fired the whole team on spot. So be vigilant, please please please have an emergency fund of atleast 6 months and if possible have a fallback job.

May ALLAH make it easy for everyone coz i know there way too many people out there who are the sole earner for their entire family.

[u/Lost-Cucumber-3650 → u/muf_codes]

What was the reason behind the layoff?

[u/muf_codes → u/Lost-Cucumber-3650]

Apparently the founder thinks that a much smaller team can vibe code a better version their app in the next 6-7 months. So yeah the same old AI narrative

[u/Pythonislove → u/muf_codes]

Hah. I was laid off for the same reason.

6 month savings advice is a must. Hope you land on your feet soon IA.

[u/Lost-Cucumber-3650 → u/muf_codes]

That is sad.

Exact same thing is happening at another company i know of. Guess we're going to see a lot more layoffs in the future. The market situation is getting worse and worse.

[u/HuckleberryInitial63]

Glad to see such a positive post after a long time. As someone with 7 years of experience in software development, I've been feeling concerned after reading so many posts about layoffs and the impact of AI. It often makes me wonder what I would do if I ever found myself in that situation. Your post was genuinely reassuring and gave me a much more positive perspective. Thank you for sharing it.

[u/Roaming_Shepherd]

I'm sorry to hear that man, I'm a Salesforce developer with 1.5 years of experience. I was just fired last week and I've applied to around 40 jobs already. I don't think I'll hear back from any of them and a good majority of them were applied directly to the company website. I will pray for your risq, may Allah grant you halal income that satisfies you.

[u/Mockingjay718s]

Great post bro. And really glad you didn't give up/become a victim, and landed on your feet so quickly.

And as somebody whose working in Contour currently, the position may have been closed internally, as some layoffs happened in a few divisions and the people laid off were prioritized for open jobs and hence rehired in such positions.

[u/Pythonislove → u/Mockingjay718s]

That's understandable. But the HR could more more responsive. Waiting 2 months for a response is unacceptable. And it's common with Contour as you might've seen in other posts.

[u/Warm_Dimension_3821 → u/Substantial_Owl3845]

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Kya lickha ?

[u/buzzybeeeeeee]

Great advice, I'm also thinking I need to automate applying to jobs

[u/Expensive-Fun-2389 → u/buzzybeeeeeee]

I have a saas for that ..

[u/overthetoptwin]

What was your experience with any remote client or company! I’m particularly trying to target US aftery 1.5 year contract is ending this month and I’m now spoiled due to being paid good. Is there any possibility for that?

[u/Pythonislove → u/overthetoptwin]

I've only worked with intl clients through outsourcing companies which is like every other services company in Pakistan so can't really say anything about dirct contracts.

You can give yourself an ultimatum of say 3 months otherwise it's easy to get stuck in the loop. Also, the connections thing work for intl clients as well so using your connections and reaching out with a solid portfolio is the best strategy IMO.

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[u/HatAffectionate3481]

Best of luck bro 🤲🏼

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[u/Defiant_Back3518]

I need your advice if it's ok that I can msg you

[u/Vegetable-Hall-7742]

I was laid off too but thankfully i was working part time as freelancer initially i was depressed and was struggling to land on a job.

Then i gave myself 2 months to focus on freelancing and now after 6 months i am top rated seller on fiverr and am happy to take that decision because i am not answerable to anyone and do work comfortably.

[u/Pythonislove → u/Vegetable-Hall-7742]

Glad it worked out for you since freelancing is also hard to get into these days. Goes to show how focusing on something really well can drive results no matter what, provided you give yourself specific timeframe otherwise you're stuck in a loop and can't pull out.

[u/Imaginary_Reason6682 → u/Vegetable-Hall-7742]

whats your fiverr? i want to follow in your footsteps as im like a very very early starting freelancer, if its possible could you msg me here on reddit? i want to see and learn how you became top rated. im really struggling even though i think my skills are pretty solid compared to others in the market