When Mack Damavandi, a software engineer with deep experience in data analytics, data engineering, and business intelligence, was laid off in September, he found himself in a familiar struggle, staying consistent in his job search while managing life at home with three young children.

After 10 years at Greenshades (7+ in engineering, ~3 in operations/HRIS), Riley was laid off in a reduction in force. He decided to pivot away from development toward people-and-operations roles. First time on the market in a decade, new target, tight timeline.

“I was terrified at first. On my own I could only get four to six applications a day. That speed was not going to cut it.”

Glenn Nicol’s job search looked like many others: slow, discouraging, and full of second-guessing. Despite 20 years in tech, including leadership and product roles, he struggled to get traction. Then he partnered with Applica. In just 30 days, Glenn had nearly 200 applications submitted, multiple screenings, and a job offer he wouldn’t have even considered applying for on his own.

When rumors of changes began circulating, Rebecca Higgins felt a knot in her stomach. She hadn’t lost her job but the uncertainty was real and people were scared. Like many professionals, she’d built a strong career through hard work and leadership. Still, the “what if” lingered.

Take a quick tour through the job search world. Whether you’re unemployed, quietly hustling behind the scenes, casually exploring opportunities, or ready to climb further — this page helps you find yourself in one of several personas: The Desperate Job Seeker, the Anxious Employed, the Passive Explorer, the Level-Up Professional, the Returner, the Side Hustler, the Recent Grad, the Career Switcher, or the Overqualified Veteran.

For each persona, we walk you through:

• Their mindset and where they’re coming from

• The unique struggles they face (from burnout to identity gaps to fear)

• How Applica can support them — whether by filtering noise, organizing applications, helping you position multiple profiles, or simply giving you peace of mind

Pick which one describes you, and let it guide how you approach your job search — and which features of Applica will help you most.

Tech job hunting today is inefficient, exhausting, and demoralizing. Candidates are forced to spend 40–60 hours just preparing resumes and portfolios, only to apply to fewer than two jobs per day on average. Job postings are filled with inflated requirements that push many talented people, especially women and career changers, to self-disqualify before they even apply.

Those who press forward are met with broken application systems like Workday that demand long forms, clunky uploads, and pointless qualifying questions. Many give up mid-application. For those who do get a shot, interviews drag on with endless rounds that drain energy and halt momentum. And all the while, inboxes flood with rejection emails or, worse, silence.

AI has only made the situation stranger. Job seekers are turning to ChatGPT to clean up resumes, which leads to documents that feel fake and generic. Recruiters, meanwhile, are using AI to screen resumes at scale. The result is a loop of algorithms talking to algorithms, where authenticity and human connection are pushed out of the hiring process entirely.

It is no wonder so many job seekers burn out. The process is stacked against them. The tools are not built with their needs in mind. And too many qualified candidates are stuck in limbo while companies lose out on great talent.