[apothegm]

The massive rounds of layoffs in the US over the past 3 years mean there are a ridiculous number of software engineers looking for jobs. AI has compounded this by automating applications such that a single opening might get multiple thousands of submissions.

Your best bet to find a job in this market is to have some connection to the hiring manager. It might be a friend of a friend of a former colleague. Or both having membership in the same semi-open community. But you need a way to say “hey, I’m a real human being and especially interested in this job; please at least take a look at my resume!”

[mariogintili]

yes, so when I see an opening I try to message the key people around the role first, not just fill out a form. Any other approaches are well welcomed

[apothegm]

The other thing I had to realize before I could get an offer in this market is that there are so many overqualified candidates it’s almost impossible to get a stretch role and very difficult to get one at the same level you were last working at. If you just need an income for now, consider looking for something you’re significantly overqualified for but that gives you exposure to something new in a different dimension (new industry, for instance). Then once you’ve got that job and have restored your savings, you can look for something with more growth while still employed. Maybe some day the market will even bounce back, tho I wouldn’t count on it.

[sarlalian]

If possible, go to local meetups for whatever type of role you are in/interested in. The current environment while very different from the 2000’s dot com bubble bust, has certain similarities, and at that time, the only way to really find work was through relationships. I know at that time I ended up switching from being a software engineer to desktop support for about 6 months just to stay employed, especially since it was the only job available in my friend group.