For people who have recently found a role, what actually helped—referrals, direct outreach, niche expertise, open-source work, or something else? And for those still looking, what has been the most frustrating or surprising part of the process?
It would be helpful if you could include your region, experience level, and role, since the market seems to vary a lot.
Longer answer? I'm building my own software, and I don't plan to return to the tech job market forever. I loved tech, but this market just makes me say "Screw it" and take the leap into business instead.
Currently building icpsignal.com (Social Media Lead Generation Platform), backendrescue.com, and curtistechsolutions.com.