Tech Job Hunting Is Stuck in Broken Mode
The tech job market in 2026 is wild.
I’ve been waiting for the tech job market to “recover” for what feels like a lifetime now. The thing is, this isn’t a dip. It’s not even a correction. We all thought it was having a little wobble while interest rates do their thing and sort themselves out.
The thing is, that this is it. Which is as scary as it can be, right? If you’re of a nervous disposition you might want to skip over this blog post now.
Job Hunting as a Permanent Background Task
I’m currently employed. I do my job. I ship work. I attend meetings I shouldn’t need to attend, but do because it “looks” good. I’d doing ok, and I’m getting my paycheck.
In the background I’ve taken mitigating action. Amongst the low-level hum of life this isn’t a trivial commitment.
Job hunting has become like brushing your teeth. You don’t do it because something is wrong today. You do it because if you stop, things get bad fast.
That’s not ambition. That’s survival. You need to do that level of preparation too.
Here’s a bit more advice for you. If you want to keep affective in the world of software development that is.
Stop Pretending Applications Are Progress
You can still fire out 100 applications in a week if you want. The tools make it easy. The “Easy Apply” buttons are right there, begging to be clicked. You might even get an AI agent on the case.
And for a brief moment, it feels productive. You’re winning because you have a large number of applications in the bag.
Big mistake. Volume isn’t progress anymore, it’s just noise. That’s the key, everyone can apply quickly and in volume now. Tailor a resume, this is everyone’s want these days. Everyone can generate a cover letter that sounds vaguely competent.
This isn’t because the bar has moved up. The crowd has, and the expectations have changed.
The real filter now isn’t skill. It’s signal.
Apply to fewer jobs. Apply to jobs you’d actually take. Jobs you wouldn’t resent six months from now. The ones you can talk about without sounding like you’re reading hostage demands.
Your Resume Is Competing With a Machine…Even If that’s How it Was Written
Let’s get something straight; your resume is not being read.
It’s being parsed. Scored. Compared. Rejected. Maybe skimmed by a human who has already been trained to distrust it.
Long resumes die instantly. Vague resumes die instantly. “Worked on X using Y” dies instantly.
It’s a hunger games style survival of the fittest. To prevent your resume getting filtered into the trash you need to do a number of things, and getting your application sent is only the first step.
Resumes that service have the following:
• Clear outcomes
• Justified numbers
• Decisions that had impact
• Trade-offs you owned
If you improved something, you can qualify it with how much.
If you fixed something, what was broke? And what did it save?
Nobody cares what tools you’ve “been exposed to”. Exposure is something about analogue film.
Where Everyone Is Lying
If you’re not using AI to help with applications, interview prep, and remembering what the hell you applied to three months ago you’re too slow.
So when your friends are claiming they don’t use AI they’re lying (at least if they are employed.
Because that’s what it takes to stay in the game.
You know it’s true. It’s true because recruiters are using automation. Companies are using automation. Screening is automated. Scheduling is automated. Rejections are automated.
In a gun fight don’t bring a knife. Bring a gun. In an AI battle you need to have an AI on your side, right? Refusing to use AI on principle is like insisting on handwritten resumes because email feels impersonal.
The tools help you get to the solution. Your job is to create the environment for that output, and to own the result, we don’t need to own the process anymore. So the trick isn’t pretending you don’t use AI, the trick is not sounding like AI wrote your entire career and you didn’t own the result.
Track Everything
At some point, a recruiter will email you with the line. you know the one.
“Just following up on your application”
When I used to get that I’d feel the panic rising up inside me. How would I possibly know what they were talking about?
Who, what and why? I mean which application, which company and who did I claim to be on the application?
I used to apply to many jobs. Because I didn’t have a tracking system I felt lost, and it sent me into a spiral.
Yet all I needed to do was keep track.
A Google Sheet is enough, probably just company, role, application date and folder link. Because you should keep a copy of your cover letter and application (so you can reference it later). So then you can justify why you asked for that salary in the application form.
Interviews Are Performance, Not Evaluation
Let’s drop the pretense.
Even when interviews are not done with AI (don’t do an AI interview, one-way interviews do not respect you or your time) they’re not what you think they are.
Interviews are not neutral assessments of skill. They are rehearsed performances with arbitrary scoring, delivered by people who were never trained to evaluate humans.
To overcome this you need to script interviews.
“Tell me about yourself” → a polished opening act
“Biggest challenge” → a contained failure with a redemption arc
“Disagreement with a colleague” → conflict without consequences
Practice out loud. Practice until it feels stupid. Then practice again. Use a mirror. Record it on your (home not work) laptop. View it. Make sure you have a friction-free performance.
If you have someone willing to listen, use them.
If you don’t, talk to a wall. Or an AI. Or your reflection in the microwave door.
Pride does not pay rent. Practice might just help you to do so.
Burnout is the Default
The biggest lie in modern tech is that you can brute-force your way through anything. Just get stuff done and hang the consequences. This applies to jobs and this applies to job applications.
Ten-hour application sessions don’t make you competitive. They make you numb. After a while, you stop caring which job you apply for, and that shows in the quality of your applications.
Cap your effort. Make a few quality application, then stop. Remember to eat real food (hello, vegetables!) and take a break to do something unrelated.
The goal is sustainability, not martyrdom. Quality not quantity.
You’re not lazy for needing rest. You’re human in a system designed without humans in mind. If you just want to churn out applications using AI, you’re using the quantity approach that everyone else is doing. Now think about what you’re doing first.
Nobody Is In Control
In 2026 so many applications are using the quantity approach. That means the hiring manager is often overwhelmed, and might lead them to ghosting you.
Be prepared that you might not hear back from any given job you’re applied to.
So remember.
Ghosting isn’t personal.
Rejection isn’t always about you.
Silence usually means nothing happened, not you failed.
So wait until you’re possibly rejected, keep a feeling of hope but keep applying for any new positions that come up in the meantime.
The New Normal
Here’s what nobody likes hearing. It’s over. Stable employment is no longer the default.
Long tenure is no longer rewarded. Loyalty is not a strategy.
To mitigate this we need to engage in defensive behavior.
• Periodic job searches
• Ongoing interview readiness
• Treating employment as temporary, even when it’s good
That doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It means you’ve understood the rules.
Yes, Some People Still Get Lucky
Yes, some people still get lucky. Someone’s old manager calls at the right time. A former colleague vouches for them just as a role quietly opens up.
Yet you shouldn’t put your life in the hands of luck. It’s uncontrollable, and has the habit of showing up at just the wrong time. Betting your livelihood on luck is like betting your retirement on a scratch card. It feels optimistic right up until it isn’t.
Conclusion
Treating employment as temporary is now professional maturity.
You need to keep your resume sharp, your interview stories practiced and your options open. That’s the new game, and it’s time you got into it and used the knowledge to your own advantage.
About The Author
Professional Software Developer “The Secret Developer” can be found on Twitter @TheSDeveloper.
The Secret Developer knows if it all goes wrong, there’s always OnlyFans…