I live in Canada but I am sure the hiring situation is not that different in USA,we had a job posting for Software devs and QA for almost 7 months in my previous work place, at one point we even told a candidate what topics we want them to study and be ready to talk but nah... this candidate came with zero preparation and it was after 7 months we found some one we liked (in terms of knowledge and fit). Just because a lot of people are waiting for jobs doesn't mean companies will hire them.