[jwells89]

Niche might make a difference too, with demand and supply levels varying between them. Don’t know what the current market is like but in the past my experience has been that niches with higher barriers to entry see significantly fewer applicants (and thus, less competition per position).

[kridsdale3]

It also may come down to silly factors like how nice was your shirt, when you interviewed? We in nerd-world like to think candidates are objectively measurable without bias, but traditional wisdom about how to get a job will always apply. Did one candidate have a better haircut than the other?