Context: Searching for a new senior level software development job over a 9 week period in summer 2025.
- Focused mostly on data engineering and backend roles that are in-person or hybrid in the SF Bay Area.
- Leads from recruiters on LinkedIn were much more likely to lead to interviews+offers.
- The winning offer came through my personal network.
- I mostly used Hiring.cafe for prospecting. They’re a scraper with an interface I didn’t hate.
Interesting breakdown. Its a hard market.
My last Two jobs were both referrals.
Tell me about it. Took me 3x as many applications to land two interviews, and I wasn’t even looking for a specific field. My only requirement was $20/hr or more, the bare minimum needed to survive.
Finally settled on a $19/hr job after a six month struggle. I can’t afford groceries but at least I won’t go homeless.