Hey there! Receiving no answers anymore since a few weeks. Do you observe the same?
And one more thing:
Since last month, I ve received about 2, 3 replies like this, has anyone else had a similar experience?
“No more hiring this year / No remaining staffing budget for 2026 “
Ihr kennt das sicher!
Leute, war Sonntag im Wald Pilze sammeln und habe den Komplex zum ersten Mal entdeckt.
Kann mir jemand weiterhelfen was das war? Gibt kein Google Maps Eintrag.
War das sowas wie in KKH?
Liegt im Bucher Forst. Direkt den eben ist noch eine verlassene Siedlung nach sowjetischen Baustil
Today marks exactly 6 months since I lost my job.
(repost, while some of you (correctly) identified, that I translated my script via AI. Now it is clean from my pen.;))
TL;DR
Dead End
Hard budget freezes for the rest of 2026 have replaced "lack of experience" as the primary reason for rejection in the Robotics/MedTech niche.
Systemic Failure
Strategic pivots like building specialized GitHub portfolios or applying for internships (even while re-enrolled) are being ignored, blocked by rigid corporate policies. ”Real” Work XP is the holy grail.
Context
- Entry-level (6 months exp.) at a MedTech Software startup. Laid off due to company financial restructuring.
- Software / System Engineer (MedTech, Industrial AI, Robotics).
- 300+ Applications | 12 Interview Processes | 3 Final Rounds | 0 Offers.
Market Observations
I’ve been tracking ~80 companies. At the start, there were a few openings. Now, most have vanished. Even in Robotics, where startups used to grow, hiring has slowed to a crawl or surely, there are not enough roles for the high demand (what is permanently rising since winter)
In the first few months, feedback was mostly "lack of professional experience." Recently, the tune has changed to: "Headcount frozen/budgets cut until the end of the year."
I spent months building GitHub projects in Simulation, CV, and Robotics. In almost every interview, it became clear that no one had even clicked on my repositories.
I actually reenrolled at university to qualify for internships at big firms. It backfired. Most company policies state that if you already hold a Master’s degree, you are overqualified for an internship (what I support to give students a change, but to follow that by a policy is very strict).
Strategies I’ve Tried
Volume: Applying to everything remotely relevant (that’s trash, avoid that!)
Niche: Using AI and Google Maps to find hidden "Mittelstand" champions.
Applying for internships at Big Tech/large corps or Research companies (blocked by HR policies or searching for high-Uni students).
Moving Forward
At first, it was "not enough experience." Then it was "not enough technical excellence" (despite great soft skill feedback). Now, it’s simply "no personal budget, until years end”.
The Plan I’m giving it one more month of full-time hunting. If nothing sticks, I’m taking a mental health break :D
lean = nichts so vollgeuvkert, wie andere, aber noch genug :D