Job Search Taking Forever? You're Not Alone.

One of the more difficult parts of the current job market is not just that it’s competitive—it’s that there is less movement overall.

A lot of job search advice assumes that roles are constantly opening and closing, and that if you are applying consistently, you should start seeing traction within a predictable window of time. But right now, that assumption doesn’t fully hold.

What we are seeing instead is a labor market where fewer people are leaving their jobs. When the broader environment feels uncertain, many people choose to stay where they are, even if they might otherwise consider moving. The result is that fewer roles open up in the first place.

Fewer openings, more applications

At the same time, something else is happening on the other side of the equation. With fewer roles available, more people are applying to each one. And increasingly, generative AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude have lowered the work needed to apply to jobs, resulting in people applying to more of them.

Hiring managers are feeling this directly. It is not uncommon for a single role to receive hundreds—or even thousands—of applications. Many of those applications are not particularly tailored, but they still need to be reviewed or filtered in some way.

The result is not just more competition, but a different kind of hiring process. It becomes harder for strong candidates to stand out—not necessarily because they are less qualified, but because they are being evaluated alongside a much larger and more uneven pool.

(Note: While gen AI tools can help prepare job applications, I strongly advise against overly relying on them to create your application materials. Hiring managers are definitely taking notice and are starting to be able to identify resumes/cover letters predominantly created by AI. It's important that your voice and a sense of who you are as an individual come through.)

Silence ≠ You are the problem

For job seekers, this often shows up as silence. Applications go out, and there is little to no response. Timelines stretch. Processes stall. It becomes easy to interpret that lack of movement as a signal that something is off in your approach—that your materials need to be revised, or that you are targeting the wrong roles.

Sometimes that is true. But in many cases, what you are experiencing is not a reflection of your qualifications. It is a reflection of how the market is functioning.

There are fewer openings to begin with, and each one is receiving more attention. That combination makes the process feel both slower and less predictable.

What this changes about how to approach your search

This kind of market does not just require more patience—it requires a slightly different way of thinking about the process.

First, it helps to recognize that fewer opportunities mean that timing plays a larger role. You are not just competing on fit, but on when roles happen to open and how many people are applying at that moment.

Second, it becomes more important to distinguish between activity and progress. Submitting a high volume of applications may feel productive, but in an environment where many people are doing the same, it does not necessarily increase your likelihood of moving forward.

What often matters more is consistency over time—continuing to engage with the process even when results are not immediate—rather than trying to accelerate outcomes that are constrained by the market itself.

What becomes more important in a lower-movement market

If fewer roles are being posted publicly, then where opportunities show up also shifts.

Networking becomes more important, not less.

When there is less turnover, more opportunities circulate through conversations—people hearing about roles before they are widely advertised, or being recommended when something does open up. In that context, staying connected to others becomes a more direct way of accessing opportunities that may not be visible through job boards alone.

This does not have to mean approaching networking as a high-intensity activity. In many cases, it is about maintaining and revisiting connections you already have, while throwing in new connections every so often. Check in with former colleagues, friends, or even people who have left or graduated from your program and who are in non-academic jobs. (This is one of the places where LinkedIn can be great.)

Sustaining yourself through a longer search

If timelines are longer and opportunities are less frequent, it may be necessary to think about how you sustain yourself in the meantime.

For some, that may involve taking on short-term or part-time work that provides financial stability while continuing the job search. That might include contract work, freelance projects, or other forms of income that can run alongside your applications.

These roles do not have to be perfectly aligned with your long-term direction to be useful. In many cases, they can also provide additional experience or connections that become relevant over time.

If you are considering this, I’ve outlined a range of possible options in my blog post "Side Hustles for Social Science and Humanities PhDs: Extra Income and Experience."

Working within the market you are in

None of this changes the fact that the process can be frustrating. But it does change how that experience can be understood.

This is a job market with less movement, but it won't always be this way. However, for right now, this means fewer roles are opening, and more people are applying to each one. That combination makes timelines longer and outcomes less predictable.

If you approach the search with that in mind, the goal becomes less about forcing faster results and more about staying engaged, maintaining consistency, and positioning yourself for when opportunities do arise.

Looking for support in navigating your career journey? Let’s chat — it’s free, and you’ll walk away with actionable steps to start your journey.

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© 2026 Marya T. Mtshali. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the author.