[PainfullyNormal]

1) Senior Dev referred me to his hiring manager. Regular job interview from there.

2) Hiring Manager I worked with for a few years prior agreed to give me a job. Ghosted me a week later.

3) A guy I worked closely with for 2 years later became a medium-sized startup CTO. I asked him for a job. He said yes, then referred me to the hiring manager. Normal interview from there on out.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Just to clarify: I'm not complaining. I have no problem going through job interviews to prove myself. But, it would be nice if I could figure out what I'm missing and not have to do that. Maybe it's a difference in reputation? I'm not seen as the hotshot. I'm the go to guy.