Trying to land a senior creative gig in Portland right now is absolute hell. Having hunted for senior and ACD roles here since February with zero luck, the market feels completely broken. Apply for senior roles, and it's dead silence. Pivot to mid-level roles, and the feedback is always "you're overqualified." Freelance client work is the only thing keeping the lights on because full-time roles are incredibly elusive.
The local agency scene is tiny, and the few shops that exist rarely hire. Being a magnet for creative talent, Portland gets flooded with hundreds of applicants the second a listing goes live. Moving here from Dallas a couple of years ago meant starting from scratch without a local network, which makes breaking in twice as hard.
Still, this city is incredible despite the brutal job market. Hopefully, your partner has better luck cracking the code here than most of us are having.
