I have some insight into pre-pandemic and post-pandemic job hunting.
Before the pandemic, I started looking for a position because my company refused to let me work from home, even part-time. It took me six months, but I found a well-paid remote position.
The first day of my remote position was the first day of California’s lockdown (March 13th, 2020), which was a bit ironic because most employees became remote on that day.
Pre-pandemic remote positions were a novelty; I applied to 1 or 2 remote jobs a week, and I scoured all the job boards (Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Dice). Most companies wanted you in the office at least part of the time. Managers wanted to see you in a cubical; you might not be doing anything but seeing you put them at ease.
The problem with going into the office is that it drastically limits the number of jobs available to you. Remote work opens up the entire United States.
Fast forward to February 2022, I received an email stating my contract wouldn’t be renewed. So, starting in March 2022, I was back in the job market. This time, my experience was the opposite. I changed my status on LinkedIn to “Open to Work.” and for the next week and a half, I received 30 to 50 emails a day, 99% being remote. When I received an email asking me if I was open to relocation, I felt bad for the recruiter. Because that position would never be filled in the current job market.
At one point, I was interviewing for 5 positions, at the same time, with base salary expectations of 175k to 200k per year.
After a week and a half of searching, I accepted an offer, for a remote position, from a large company that everyone would recognize.
If companies hadn’t been forced into remoteness, we’d likely be stuck driving into the office to appease our insecure managers.