Did the job market change, or am I doing something wrong?
Last year, I quit my job and landed a new role in Marketing & Communications within just 15 days and it even came with a higher salary.
This year, I left my job in January, and five months later, I'm still unemployed and actively searching.
What confuses me is that I'm following the same job-search strategy that worked before. Every morning, I search for openings, tailor my applications, and try to reach HR directly via email. In fact, I'm doing even more now by applying through company websites and multiple job portals as well.
So I'm genuinely wondering: is there something I'm missing? Has the job market become significantly tougher, or is there something in my approach that I should be changing?
Jobadvisor
Both things are true — the market has genuinely shifted, and there are likely some strategic adjustments worth making. Here's an honest breakdown:
Yes, the market has gotten harder
Marketing job postings in 2025 were down 17% compared to 2024, so there are simply fewer openings than when you last searched. The overall picture entering 2026 is not a stalled market, but a tighter, more targeted one — companies are hiring for fewer roles and taking a more selective approach to headcount growth.
Specifically for your field: hiring for communications and PR roles fell 7.3%, and brand marketing jobs fell 3.7% — while growth marketing and product marketing grew. So the contraction is hitting the exact category you're in harder than others.
More than a quarter of marketing leaders expected to make cuts in early 2026, up from 22.8% the previous quarter. The environment is measurably tougher than a year ago.
But your strategy may also need updating
The "search → tailor → email HR" loop worked when competition was lower. Here's what the data suggests is changing:
Skills gap may be widening. Hiring is tilting toward specialists who combine creative craft with analytical depth — and who can use AI responsibly to streamline workflows. If your applications don't signal these, you may be getting filtered out early. The skills with the strongest upward trend include marketing analytics, campaign performance reporting, and cross-functional collaboration.
The level you're targeting matters a lot. Senior (director-level and above) roles proved most resilient, while entry-level hiring remained under pressure. Mid-level is the most crowded, competitive bracket right now.
Certain niches are actually booming. Areas accelerating include creative strategists within performance teams, social media specialists in the creator/influencer space, and marketers with hands-on experience in Amazon Marketplace and TikTok Shop. If you can credibly pivot toward any of these, your odds improve significantly.
Practical adjustments worth trying
- Lead with metrics in your CV and cover letters. Employers are screening for impact ("grew email open rate by 40%") not just responsibilities.
- Add AI fluency visibly. Even basic proficiency with AI tools in your workflow is now a differentiator worth explicitly naming.
- Network laterally, not just upward. Direct HR outreach is increasingly ineffective because many roles are filled through referrals before they're posted publicly. Former colleagues, LinkedIn connections, and industry communities matter more now.
- Consider contract/freelance as a bridge. 61% of marketing leaders plan to step up contract or temporary hiring in the first half of 2026. A contract role can lead to permanent work and ends the gap on your CV.
- Target the right sectors. Manufacturing and distribution led marketing job postings, followed by tech/IT and financial services — these may be worth prioritizing over industries you've traditionally targeted.
The short version: it's not you, but you can't use the same playbook either. The market has moved, and the strategy needs to move with it.
Wow the rejection I just got is beyond frustrating...
So I left a company on good terms with the full notice back in 2019 I took on a new role that I was at for 6 years gaining tons of experience.
Since then that company has grown substantially from 30 million to a quarter billion and I have a ton of contacts back there including the now CTO of the company.
I saw a role that was a perfect fit for me I hit every single requirement 100% and I've supported and sold the product for 2 years. I reached out to the head of HR she connected me with her colleague that was handling the recruiting. I reached out to the CTO who spoke with the hiring manager just to get me some more information.
The CTO said she's advocating for me and I just got a email this morning of an automated rejection. It is so frustrating to not only match 100% requirements that actually have sold and support the product before and have the advocacy of the CTO and not even get an interview...
Jobadvisor
Ouch. That is absolutely brutal, and your frustration is 100% justified.
To have that level of history with a company, the exact product experience, and the literal Chief Technology Officer pulling strings for you, only to get slapped in the face by a cold, automated "no-reply" email? It feels like a glitch in the matrix, or at the very least, a massive breakdown in communication.
Before you spiral too far into despair or anger, take a deep breath. In a company that has scaled from $30M to $250M, there is a very high probability that the system outpaced the humans here.
Here is most likely what just happened, and exactly how you should handle it.
🕵️♂️ What Likely Happened Behind the Scenes
When companies scale that fast, they implement rigid Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and HR protocols. Here are the two most common culprits for an automated rejection in your scenario:
The ATS Knockout: You mentioned hitting 100% of the requirements, but if the ATS was looking for a specific keyword, a certain certification format, or a specific answer to a screening question (e.g., salary expectations, location, or even a glitchy "have you worked here before" flag), the system will auto-reject without a human ever seeing your resume.
The Internal Wire-Crossing: The hiring manager or recruiter might have opened a new, identical pipeline for you, or they were supposed to "move" your application manually but didn't do it before the system's automated timer ran out.
🛠Your Immediate Next Steps
Do not let an automated system have the final say here. You have the ultimate trump card: a direct line to the C-suite.
1. Reach out to the Recruiter (The Colleague) Send a polite, slightly confused (but completely professional) note to the recruiter you were connected with.
"Hi [Name], I hope you're having a good week. I received an automated system rejection morning for the [Role Name] position. Given my conversations with [Head of HR] and [CTO], I wanted to check in and see if this was an automated system error or if the role has been closed. I'm still incredibly excited about the opportunity to bring my experience back to the team. Thanks!"
2. Update the CTO (After a brief delay) If the recruiter doesn't reply quickly, or if you want to cover your bases, loop back to the CTO. Do not sound angry; sound like you're trying to solve a technical bug.
"Hey [CTO Name], thanks again for advocating for me. Quick heads up—I just got an automated rejection email from the system this morning. I suspect my application might have triggered an ATS filter by mistake or gotten lost in the system shuffle. I've reached out to HR to clarify, but wanted to let you know since we just spoke about the role!"
💡 The Silver Lining
If you were a cold applicant, an automated rejection is the end of the road. But you aren't. You have internal champions.
In a quarter-billion-dollar company, HR is often a bureaucratic machine, but executives still hold the remote control. If the CTO actually wants you on the team, or at least wants you interviewed, a quick Slack message from them to the hiring manager will override any automated email you received this morning.
Hang in there. Don't reply to the rejection email itself, don't burn any bridges, and let your network do the heavy lifting to fix this glitch.
Have you reached back out to the recruiter or the CTO yet to see what happened?
Told my boss he can fire me if he won't let me work from home
Thanks to this sub, I finally stood up to my employer about switching to remote work.
I have a severe medical condition from last year. My boss received an email directly from my doctor about it. I was supposed to be allowed to work remotely 100% of the time starting 6 months ago. At first he said it was fine, probably scared of a lawsuit. But slowly he started making up excuses for why I needed to come in, and eventually just expected me in the office several times a week. Pure control. Just wanted his little minion around to complain to.
So the other day I told him I'm done. If he wants to force me into the office for no reason, he can fire me or I'll help train my replacement. He's been heavily dependent on me for nearly a decade and I'm not easy to replace. I used negotiation simulation&adv sites-chatvisor to learn some of Chris Voss's negotiation techniques. He argued about "his needs" for a while. But every time he pushed back I just said "feel free to fire me then." He finally backed down and admitted I already proved I could work remotely during the pandemic with zero issues.
I am so proud of myself. What I was asking for was completely reasonable, especially with a doctor's note. I'm not going to keep catering to someone who just wants to control and monitor me all day. I am planning to leave anyway. I just want to take my time finding something I actually love.
STAND YOUR GROUND. You are not as disposable as you think.
Jobadvisor
That's a genuinely impressive moment of self-advocacy, especially when you're dealing with a medical condition on top of it all. Standing your ground when you have real leverage (a decade of institutional knowledge, a documented medical need, a proven remote track record) is exactly the right call, and it sounds like you made your case calmly and without burning the relationship down.
The "feel free to fire me" framing is powerful precisely because it's true — you're not bluffing, you're just naming reality. That's hard to argue with.
Hope the job search goes well when you're ready. You've clearly got the self-awareness and communication skills that make someone worth hiring.
job application asking for PICTURES of me at work?!??!?!
this was such an insane thing i came across on an application today. "please upload pictures or videos of yourself at work". excuse me? what a quick way to make sure i never apply to your business again. aside from the weirdness of the request, why is that something they even want me to have on hand? doesn't that just tell them i see no issue with sitting around taking selfies instead of working? i've never seen anything like this before... i think we're cooked
Jobadvisor
Whoa. Yeah, that is a massive red flag, and your instinct to slam the "close tab" button is 100% correct.
That request is not only incredibly weird, but it's also a logistical and legal minefield. You are definitely not "cooked" for finding this insane—the company's hiring process is what's fully baked.
Here is a breakdown of why this request is so backward and why you should trust your gut.
1. The Legal and Privacy Nightmare
Most companies go out of their way to avoid seeing what you look like before an interview to prevent bias claims. Asking for photos/videos out of the gate opens the door wide open for discrimination based on age, race, gender, or appearance.
Furthermore, think about the privacy violations:
Proprietary Data: Taking photos inside a previous employer's workplace often violates NDAs or company security policies.
Bystanders: You’d likely be capturing coworkers or customers in the background without their consent.
2. The Logic Loop (Your "Selfie" Point)
You hit the nail on the head. If you do have a library of photos of yourself actively working, it implies one of two things:
You spent your shift setting up a tripod to look busy.
Your previous job was heavily staged for social media.
For 95% of normal jobs, people are too busy actually working to document themselves doing it.
What Are They Actually Trying to Do?
Unless you are applying to be an actor, a model, or a high-profile brand influencer where your likeness is the job, there are only a few reasons a company does this:
The "Culture Fit" Trap: They are superficial and filtering for a specific "look" or aesthetic.
Sloppy AI Scraping: They might be using a third-party hiring software that they didn't bother to configure properly.
A Content Farm Hook: They want to use your onboarding materials for their own cheap social media marketing.
The Bottom Line
Trust your gut. A company that demands proof of your appearance or expects you to have breached your last workplace's privacy just to apply is showing you exactly how disorganized and boundary-crossing they will be as an employer.
Bullet dodged. On to the next application!