Title: I&#x27;m in the middle of a job search and wanted to share my impression after discussions like https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=33563083.<p>I&#x27;m an unemployed mid&#x2F;senior-level developer in the U.S. with a mediocre but solid portfolio and passable social skills. I&#x27;ve applied for many jobs at normal non-FAANG places, almost all of which were a decent match for my background, and employers don&#x27;t seem desperate. Lots of no responses or form rejections, several places where I was rejected after either the initial or tech screen. I haven&#x27;t gotten to the negotiation phase yet anywhere. When I asked, most seemed serious about hiring: they just got a new round of funding, there was a backlog of work, something, but still no hire. Also almost no response from external recruiters, and very little inbound LinkedIn messaging from anyone.<p>I&#x27;m not complaining, it&#x27;s just how the grind is. I&#x27;m getting enough traction that I&#x27;m sure it&#x27;s just a numbers game. But the employers are not desperate.<p>If you are a candidate without a golden resume or big network and need a job, then definitely don&#x27;t get complacent because of HNers telling you that $100k-150k jobs are falling off trees. Put together a decent portfolio and then get those applications numbers up from day one. My personal goal is at least 100 applications before seriously considering pivoting to something else.
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