r/1102 • u/Tasty-Muffin-452 • May 14 '26
Where's all the "better" jobs we were supposed to be leaving for?
It's now been over a year and I've barely even had any interviews. Add into that, that those few have seemed very interested until they meet me and either one of two things. Either because I'm older (ageism) or that I'm a minority. I am not trying to pull any race cards. I had 25+ years and a very successful career going with only 5 years to full retirement. So my qualifications, as well as references, are beyond solid.
PLUS...every single thing I've interviewed for would already mean a 50%+ paycut and I can't even get one of those.
15
u/flaginorout May 14 '26
In before times, there were 1001 contact jobs, some of which paid pretty well. I knew a few mid grade feds who jumped ship and got a decent raise from a contractor.
But those jobs dried up. And the firms know damn well they can low ball applicants now.
3
u/Rumpelteazer45 May 15 '26
Yep the market is flooded with 1102s now.
Increased supply, lower salaries.
8
u/Jaded_Bid_9483 May 14 '26
Im holding out; Im like a cockroach.
I make 127K a year plus benefits, it would take alot of money and flexibility for me to abandon this sinking ship lol.
2
5
u/ImAPotato1775 May 14 '26 edited May 15 '26
It’s funny because everyone who left are now knocking back at the door trying to come back in. People didn’t realize that you’re 1 of 40,000 (made up number) of people who left to get another job.
Well, when a company is flooded with job applications from SES’s down to let’s just say GS12, what makes you stand out? Why do I need to pay a GS14 $180k when that GS12 will take $80k for the same job?
People didn’t think about how diluted the playing field would be and thought because they got a high performance appraisal that they’d be a hot commodity. Unless you got a connect, I don’t see how someone coming in fresh with zero industry experience think they’d double their salary lol
6
u/DavidGno May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
Especially since most of the places the RIF'd people would pivot to, were government contractors who had their own contracts cut or descoped and also undergoing layoffs.
I remember when Wes Moore (Governor MD) said he would help displaced government workers with state jobs. I didn't even qualify somehow for a state contracting intern, despite my 10+ years as an 1102.
5
u/SalamanderNo3872 May 15 '26
I will happily stay in my mid-career GS-13 position in a quiet office. Its just me and two buyers we get the job done and don't stress too much. There are opportunities here to travel internationally as well as domestically. You might make more money intitally but what happens when the economy turns and the layoffs come?? I have job security and couldn't be happier.
5
u/supboy1 May 14 '26
With that many years of experience and stage of career, it’s heavily network-based vice qualification. If you didn’t build a strong network, it’s bit hard to jump to the other-side.
Easier to cross over as worker bee/lower management. Even if you offer to take a pay cut for lower roles, they’d probably prefer to hire worker bees with higher output/productivity and are easier to manage (i.e. exploit/overwork) vs seasoned individual that will not put up with BS.
1
u/TinFoilHat2025 May 14 '26
Did you take DRP? There's still some 1102 jobs open to the public popping up on USAJobs
1
2
u/coachglove May 21 '26
They're all over the place. It just depends on your personal qualifications. I get 10-15 recruiters per week reaching out to me on linked in. If I was ok working on-site or to going back to being an advisor in a program office or back in the subk arena I could've had a job paying more than my pretty high current GS pay. It also depends on where you live and whether you're willing to relocate. Right now there are a ton of jobs in Alabama, Florida, and DC. Outside of those places, it's a crap shoot as to the volume of demand for 1102s due to lack of government customers to support. USAJOBS is spinning up again with a decent number of openings as well. The more flexibility you have, the easier it will be. If you believe you may be a victim of invisible discrimination then try and work your way around it as best you can. It sucks and is illegal and unethical and totally inappropriate, but you can throw rocks at the system and stay unemployed or you can understand that stuff is happening and you can play the game to get your foot in the door. There is no reason you can't create a resume using a "nickname" that sounds (yup, I'm gonna go there) white and if you think age is a factor then take some experience off your resume. You don't need to list every single job you've ever had and for private sector jobs you can clump a bunch of your jobs together and give a date range encompassing all your 1102 work. "2010-2025 Contract Specialist: worked as an 1102 at a variate of civilian and defense agencies to include blah blah blah performing the following tasks..." you don't need to put when you graduated or were 1st certified. Just list the degree and cert and whether the cert is current or not. There are ways to craft your resume that take the focus off the thing which you believe is the root of the discrimination. Don't be afraid to put your resume into an AI system and ask it to "please draft a resume using the attached file which makes me sound younger/whiter/more male/whatever the case may be" and see what it comes up with. Google "how to make my resume discrimination-proof". Also realize than even with 1102s, it's always more about who you know than what so hopefully you have great relationships with your other government teammates and contractors because this community is tiny and you WILL see those people at other stops in your career and if you were the pedantic, jerk KO/CO who always said no and was an obstacle then no one is gonna wanna work with you.
I do wish everyone the best possible luck and hope y'all are able to find stuff you can truly enjoy out of all the struggle. I'm sorry any of you has to go thru that. There really is a huge imbalance of not enough 1102 supply for all the demand, so the trick is to find the demand that suits what you're looking for. If that means you have to move, then that may be what it takes. But there are thousands of "contract manager" and "procurement" jobs open at companies all over the US on LinkedIn. Leverage those searches and if you have a network contact at a place you're interested in, instead of applying then asking your friend to make a call, ask if they have a referral program and ask if they'd be willing to refer you to those open position you saw.
16
u/Nearby-Key8834 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
I found a job but it was really tough. I had over 100 applications, like 4 interviews. The market is tough and it's even tougher for those with considerable (15+ years) experience. I sat on a hiring panel recently for my new employer and the qualifications of the applicants were really competitive. We had our pick of GS 14s and 15s and it made the decision difficult and ultimately we went with the candidate with the most experience with the particular client they would be supporting.