I'm a career consultant, and I'm now telling clients to expect to apply to 100 jobs before getting an offer

• Maddie Macho was a recruiter at Microsoft, Meta, and LinkedIn before starting a career consulting service. 
• She calls what she does "reverse recruiting," after gaining a following on TikTok.
• Macho said that last year, it took an average of 60 to 80 applications to get her clients a job offer, but now it takes 100. 

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maddie Macho, a 33-year-old career consultant and former tech recruiter. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 

I'm a former tech recruiter who worked at Microsoft, Meta, and LinkedIn who has my own career consulting business. I tell my clients that in this slowing job market, it can take about 100 job applications to get an offer. 

While I was at Meta, I posted a TikTok about the company's great benefits package, and it happened to go viral. I ultimately got fired from Meta for posting on TikTok, but after going viral a few times, I decided to start my own business using the tips I've learned from being a recruiter for 10 years. 

I call my business a "reverse recruiting" service. We help clients with everything from career strategy to resume revisions and LinkedIn optimization. We'll also apply to jobs for our clients and help with interview prep and salary negotiations. 

The price of my services range, but the standard is $2,000 for a three-month service. 

Last year, I would tell clients to expect that it would take 60 to 80 applications and about two-and-a-half months to get a job offer. Now, with tech layoffs, things are slowing down. Based on the information we track, it takes about 100 job applications and 12 to 16 weeks to get an offer. I don't know if getting a job is harder as much as it takes more consistency. 

Although I got fired from Meta, I don't regret my experience there. I feel like I learned a little bit about how to run a business from each job I had. 

The best part of running my own business is that I get to choose who I work with. I'm a woman of color and a single mom, and there are not a lot of career coaches that cater to that audience. When I was working at these larger tech companies, I worked with people who graduated from the best schools and had the best backgrounds. I now get to work with people who I feel like I can really help, and I can genuinely change lives. 

We stay on our clients every week, emailing them and setting up calls to make sure they stay motivated. It's hard to find motivation for a thankless job like applying for jobs in a black hole. I tell my clients the process is a lot more challenging if you're not staying focused, especially in 2023.