I was employed at a well paid but boring government company for 4 years. The daily 4 hour commute became unbearable as public transport became less and less reliable.

So I applied and landed a job at a tech company, mostly remote. Unfortunately, they’ve started culling the workforce and it’s very likely I’ll be let go.

Question 1: Should I already start looking for a new job? I’m only a month into this one. I don’t want to be caught off guard when they give me the boot.

Question 2: How fucked is the job market right now?

  • 4 YOE Full Stack
  • speak English, French, German
  • can hold a solid conversation about the energy sector and software (which is 90% of lemmy, but the geek profile seems less common in the public sector)
  • Aa!
    4•6 months ago

    Well as a general rule, if you are looking before you need it, then you are staying in practice for interviews, and that counts for a lot. Interviewing is a very different skill than our typical day to day activities, and it’s easy to fall out of practice.

    That said, interviewing is only half of the process. Yes, the job market is pretty saturated right now, so even if you interview very well, just getting interviews can be a challenge. At least in my experiences, the best way to get interviews is to know someone connected to a job.

    So it can really help your chances just to be part of communities and get to know people in the industry, particularly outside of your current company. Maintaining relationships with your network is going to be the most effective way of getting your foot in the door

    Personally, I would hold no loyalty to a company that shows no loyalty to you. Don’t make it obvious to your current company that you are looking, because sometimes they take it personally, but don’t feel bad about already shopping around either.

    • @alythOP
      1•6 months ago

      Thanks for the advice! <3

      It sounds like I have nothing to lose from interviewing (except some time out of my week) and everything to gain. Maybe something good comes out of it.

      I agree with you 100% - You gotta be fucking careful what you say at work. It’s like the Miranda warning, “anything you say can and will be used against you”.