[probablyexists]

This is a rough time to be looking for entry level work, anecdotal evidence indicates that new postings get hundreds of applications. It is hard to stand out.

Advice I have given to others in your exact scenario is (if possible) to take advantage of your prior career and look for jobs that would value your expertise. For example: If you worked in restaurant management look for software companies that are making products for small businesses in that space.

I can tell you that from administering interviews most developers only know development and don't have a lot of knowledge of WHY the software they are writing does what it does. This can be a big benefit to showcase in the interview.