I have been trying to get into corporate and called a gentleman about a cessna 414 gig (which I have time in). I have right around 2000 hours with 1000 multi and 700 turbine and was told that he has resumes on his desk with guys who have 20 years experience and thousand of hours of heavy international PIC. FOR A PISTON LIGHT CABIN TWIN JOB! It stinks I know, this time last year I would have been nearly guaranteed that job because no one would have wanted it, now I couldnt buy my way into it. I think every member on this board to include the furloughed ones could tell countless stories of guys they know (or themselves) who have had or seen similiar experiences of this very dry market.
In the late eighties and into the early-to-mid nineties this was the norm. In fact, it was rare to find a CFI in the early 1990's who left a flight school with less than 1500 hours.
If one wanted a job flying cancelled checks in a light twin, then that person had to have at a MINIMUM 1200/200. Realistically it was the person with an ATP who got the job and probably had closer to 500 multi.
One may ask why that person didn't apply to a regional if they had that much experience. Because the commuters (as they were known then) didn't even acknowledge your resume unless you had 2000 - 2500 TT with at least 500 - 1000 ME. And that was just to get into the right seat of a Brasilia or a an ATR! Want PIC time? The upgrade was at least 2-3 years. And just about every major had people on furlough and nobody seemed to be hiring.
That is more what normal is. Getting hired right out of flight school and into the right seat of a jet is not the normal scenario. In fact, those days will probably never return.