Over 1,000 applications but not a single job offer: Techie on life after Microsoft layoff

The former Microsoft employee said it has been financially challenging for him with limited family support.

A former Microsoft employee, who was laid off last week, has shared how difficult it has been to secure a new job in the last two months. Nicholas Knowlton has been on the job hunt ever since the tech giant announced the first round of layoffs, but even after sending out more than 1,000 applications.

On his last day at work, the cloud solution engineer from North Carolina, US, wrote, "Today is my official last day after being impacted by the Microsoft layoffs in March. I've been on a journey for the past two months, giving my all to secure a new job. Here are some numbers that reflect my efforts: 250+ applications, 57 recruiter calls, 15 hiring manager interviews, 3 final rounds, and 0 offers."

"It's been a roller coaster ride, with many interviews ending in "they decided to choose another candidate to move forward," Knowlton wrote on LinkedIn, adding that it has been financially challenging for him with limited family support.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has decided to not raise salaries for full-time employees this year with employees calling it a “slap in the face”.

Isabela Moreira, senior software engineer at Microsoft, took to social media to voice her disappointment after the company announced it would not raise pay for full-time employees, citing tough economic conditions.

The US-based Microsoft employee said no salary increase meant it was time for her to start acting her wage – a play on the popular “acting your age” adage which in modern-day parlance refers to employees not putting in extra hours or efforts for their company.

“Welp, Microsoft isn’t doing salary increases for non-hourly workers. Time to start acting my wage and saying ‘no thanks’ to extra projects,” she tweeted.

When a person in the comments section pointed out that no raise effectively amounts to a pay cut when one factors in inflation, Moreira agreed. “Exactly. Not that the merit increases we’re keeping up with inflation but this is a slap in the face,” she responded.

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