u/PEA096

Its been 6 months and no luck so far. I dont know how long its gonna go like that.

Its been 6 months and no luck so far. I dont know how long its gonna go like that.

I’ve been working as a Senior Test Engineer for several years, and lately I feel like I’ve reached a point where I’m not seeing much growth in my current path.
Over the years, I’ve moved between different companies and projects, worked with different tools and technologies, and continued to build my technical skills. But I’m now wondering what the next step should look like.
I’m interested in moving laterally towards roles like Project Manager, Product Manager, or similar delivery/product-focused roles. The challenge is that there isn’t always an opportunity within the current company to make that transition.
So my question is:
If there is no scope within your current organisation to move into a different career path, how do you make that transition externally?

Has anyone else noticed that there seem to be fewer IT contract roles compared to a few years ago?

I’m seeing a lot more fixed-term (6–12 month) positions instead of day-rate or contract roles. Is this just the current market, or are companies intentionally moving away from contractors because of budget pressure and the rise of AI?

For those working in tech (QA, development, BA, etc.), have you noticed the same trend? Is it mainly due to budget uncertainty, AI-driven changes in how teams are staffed, or something else?

Interested to hear what others are seeing across Australia.

I’ve noticed something quite often on job platform. A role gets posted, shows 100+ people have clicked “Apply”, and then after 2-3 weeks the exact same job is reposted again.
I’m curious why does this happen?
Does it mean:
-They didn’t find the right candidate?
-They are just keeping the job advertisement active to collect more applications?

For people who work in recruitment or have been through this process, what is usually the reason behind reposting jobs?

Just curious what others are seeing in the current job market in Australia. From my experience, June is usually quite slow due to EOFY and budget closures.
I’ve noticed that hiring sometimes starts picking up again from mid July once new financial year budgets kick in.
For those actively applying right now are you seeing any change in response rates or interview calls compared to June?
Would be good to hear real experiences ppl.

I never expected job hunting to be this exhausting.
Every job application feels like a mini project. You read the job description, compare it with your CV, tweak keywords so it gets past the ATS, reword bullet points, adjust your summary . and before you know it, you’ve spent 45–60 minutes on a single application.
Then - > silence.
No rejection. No interview. Nothing.
After doing this over and over, the burnout and frustration hit harder than my actual full-time job ever did.
I’m curious, how many of you actually tailor your CV for every application?
Do you:
—Customize it every single time?
—Have a few versions of your CV and pick the closest one?
—Just send the same CV everywhere and hope for the best?
I’d love to know what’s actually working for people, because sometimes I feels like I’m spending more time editing my CV than applying for jobs.

Feels like there are hardly any roles out there, and the ones that do pop up have crazy competition.

Not sure if it’s a June slowdown thing or the AI wave changing things… but job hunting feels tougher than ever lately.

Anyone else feeling the same, or is it just me lately?