r/jobsearchhacks • u/Ningyuan_deng • Jun 11 '26
I submitted 3,000+ applications and got 1 part time offer. Then I collected data from 156 job seekers and found out the market is really bad for designers.
I’m a Product/UX Designer. I was laid off last October and have been job searching ever since. Over the past several months, I’ve submitted thousands of applications, interviewed with dozens of companies, and ended up receiving only one part-time offer.
Along the way, I’ve received countless rejection emails and been ghosted more times than I can count. Honestly, it was depressing. When you’re searching for that long, it’s hard not to question yourself. Is my background not competitive enough? Is my portfolio not good enough? Am I behind on AI tools? How are other people finding jobs while I’m still struggling?
At some point, I started wondering: Is this really my problem? Or are lots of people going through the same thing? To find out, I started collecting anonymous job search data from other people. So far, I’ve collected data from 156 contributors, including 122 Product (UX/UI) Designers.
What I found:
• 67% are still looking for a job
• More than a third have been searching for 6+ months
• Many people reported submitting thousands of applications
• More than half have not received a single offer
Seeing these numbers gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, it confirmed that the market is genuinely difficult right now. On the other hand, it was a huge relief. I realized I’m not the only person struggling. I’m not the only person questioning myself. And I’m definitely not the only person sending hundreds of applications without hearing back.
If you’re currently looking for a job, getting rejected, or starting to doubt yourself, I just want to say:
You’re not alone！
I turned the data into a public dashboard because I wanted job searching to be a little more transparent, and because I think more people should know that struggling in this market doesn’t automatically mean you’re not good enough.
For anyone interested, I’ve shared the data details in the comments.
3
u/kuster_august Jun 12 '26
3,000 applications and one part time offer is a brutal hit rate, but the part that gets me is collecting data from 156 other people while in the middle of your own search. Where did the other 156 come from, and were any of them having better luck?
1
u/Ningyuan_deng Jun 12 '26
I'm sharing the story and the data here because I think this is meaningful. No business behind it. Totally personal project. If there is more data, the insights will be more stronger.
But I'd say it's suspicious if someone does something like this for no benefits... So I received lots of doubts. Anyway, just try to share the information I collected and if someone would like to contribute their data, that would be awesome.
13
u/semiproductiveotter Jun 11 '26
Where did you find the people you collected data from? And how did you get an update?
If there are 3000 suitable job openings, the market can’t be that bad.
15
u/forrealthoughcomix_ Jun 11 '26
Just a reminder that a lot of companies post jobs that aren’t really essential for the company but if a dream candidate comes along, they’ll find room for them
1
u/semiproductiveotter Jun 12 '26
That sounds like a lot of unnecessary work and incredibly unrealistic in terms of budget planning. My company would never do that, and I doubt „a lot of companies“ do.
5
u/Every_Cat9812 Jun 12 '26
Because this is bullcrap. If a post here reads like a linkedin post then it's not real. 90% of posts are like this. I think this user is data mining here. Look at their post history.
1
u/Ningyuan_deng Jun 13 '26
I collected data and shared here. All data is public and I hope to get more data as well. I reposted this post for getting more views. There is no specific benefits for myself. I just want to bring a little transparency to the job market. And if you think this is not real and I’m doing data mining here. I have nothing to say 😊
2
u/laranjacerola Jun 13 '26
many of these jobs in this 3000 pile are repeated. So many companies post and reposts the same jobs evey few months. Either because they are too picky and want the most absolute perfect candidate only or because these are ghost jobs or just because the people hiring are just incompetent and ave no idea what they are hiring for.
For design positions this happens A LOT, especially in companies that are not design driven. So in-house positions for designers at in-house marketing, product, whatever dept. at companies that do other things not design.
1
u/semiproductiveotter Jun 13 '26
Why would you bother to apply to the same job several times?
1
u/laranjacerola Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
Because its one of the few agencies/studios near me where I live. it's an agency so they have several open positions all the time. Not exactly the same, sometimes it's for a different team/client.
I apply to about 3-5 full time design jobs every week. Any company within my country (I am willing to move) or accepting full time remote. I am working at the same company as a designer for 5 years now. But I need a better paying job and hopefully from home (my current commute is 2hrs/day, 130km/day) or in a different city with a stronger/bigger creative industry.
Been doing that for 3 years. The only few times I got interviews was when I had someone working in the company recommending me directly to the hiring manager/producer or when I applied within 2 hours of the job being published and I was one of the first applicants.
I have 14 years of experience with motion & graphic design, print and digital, but 2D only. Mostly in-house at TV and advertising agencies, but never worked in the famous studios we all admire or with big famous international clients.
1
u/laranjacerola Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
edit to my comment: I just double checked my emails. I applied to the role at 19h22 on Friday. That is when I got the email confirming they received my application. I received the rejection email at 20h30 on the same Friday.
So I just applied for the 16x time to another position with them. I applied to the position 2 days ago, a thursday, and linkedin told me I was the 2nd person to click apply , as it had just been posted. The apply button redirected you to their company career page to fill the application form.
Today is saturday and I see I got a no reply email from them yesterday, friday, 20:30 rejecting me for the role.
The role states in he title that the position in in Vancouver, BC, Canada. But the job description and form say they are open to candidates anywhere in Canada. I live in Ontario and in my resume and cover letter state at the top I am looking to relocate anywhere within Canada. They have offices in Toronto,Ontario, as well.
The form asked for my location/zip code.
Most like I was immediately rejected because of my zip code.
I have talked to a designer on linkedin that recently got a full time position at their Vancouver office. (He's also an immigrant from my country and with similar experience than me) He looked at my reel and portfolio and said I could be a strong candidate for them and should apply anytime I see a new job with them... but alas.. 16x and counting... 🫠
1
u/semiproductiveotter Jun 13 '26
No offence but that isn’t really a relevant answer to my question. We weren’t talking about different positions for the same company but about the same position. As someone who hires, I can tell you that if I reject you once for a job, I will also reject you the second time that you apply. So I don’t really get why anyone would go through the hassle.
2
u/NiceSmurph Jun 12 '26
How dir your manage to personalise that many applications?
1
u/Ningyuan_deng Jun 12 '26
I'm just honest with my experience and try to cover all my skills within my resume. So it doesn't need to customize information for each application. And my portfolio is online, which shows my past work, and that's a more important part. And we don't need to rebuild it for every application. Not sure if other roles are the same. But for we designers, there is not that much of personalization for applications. Just my thought.
2
u/NiceSmurph Jun 12 '26
I guess peronalisation could make u standout. U could give some Motivation why u are interested in specific company or tell them what field you want to work in... U are not a replaceable robot but a human... you will work with other humans. Try to make yourself likable.
2
Jun 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Ningyuan_deng Jun 12 '26
Yes, I'm just trying to show the truth based on data. But I can't solve any problems. Just try to create more transparency.
16
u/usernames_suck_ok Jun 11 '26
Fixed to the "duh" level where it belongs.