How's your salary ask evolving under these conditions?

This is the problem mostly from what I can tell. As a senior dev, if you applied for jobs at the same pay as a junior you’d probably be hired in an instant.

If I got laid off today, I'd use this to my advantage. Just apply for and work for two lower-paying jobs at the same time, cumulating in a high total comp.

Actually it might raise red flags. Overqualified for a junior role, won't stay in the position at that level.

If he got 3 interviews off of hundreds of applications, he probably isn't having a lot of opportunity to revise his salary requirements. Unless it's just absurdly high, that probably isn't the issue keeping him unemployed.

I have ~10 years' experience and am finding the same.

It's reassuring to know that I'm not alone (so presumably it's not just because I'm a terrible developer), but disheartening at the same time because who knows when things will improve?

I'm in an ok situation financially (no mortgage, earning a little bit doing AI training) so have the freedom to develop a couple apps of my own. This is something I've wanted to do for ages, but they're a long way from making any kind of money. I can't complain but I'd really rather have a stable income at this stage.

20 yrs here, going on my 2nd month. 300+ applications, about 1% return. I tell myself that after 6 months, I'll sell my house and buy a farm or travel for a few months or something. I can't imagine how many qualified people the market is losing to this line of thinking.

I’m on month 19…

I feel you. 18 for me, with the axe falling riiight after I got married. Wedding was expensive, savings have long been dry. Only afloat because the wife has a job in TV. But of course during those months of Hollywood strikes, both of us were unemployed lol

It sucks but now but it won't be forever

Head up! Sadly I can’t even get a local job due to being overqualified and can’t get a tech job cause I’m a junior haha:(

Also Ty for replying..feels good to know I’m not alone in length. It can get deflating.

Congrats on getting married though! It’s why I’m trying to find a job haha.

We're all in it together, this won't last forever.

And yeah! Honestly it took a while for me to propose because we were having financial difficulties at the time, too, and I wanted to do things right. But even with hindsight, if I had known I would've run out of money after the wedding, I wouldn't have done anything differently at all. It was an amazing day and worth it all. Do whatever you can to make that day exactly what you want, there is no other feeling like it. Best of luck to you

Ping me (details in profile)

Remote only?

Don't give up on your network. For applying cold, have you tuned your resume for Applicant Tracking Systems?

I am starting a new job in April with a company that contacted me via LinkedIn in December.

Author here. I'm sorry to hear that. I've heard similar struggles from other experienced folks, and I get the impression that companies have been less eager to hire for upper-level positions such as staff or architect, relative to plain senior roles.

I've added a note near the top of my post clarifying that the "early-career" of the title is only because I'm speaking from my own experience.