I just landed a solid contract-to-perm role at a tech company after 9 months of unemployment. What worked for me:
Slow targeted applications
Being honest with interviewers about what I couldn’t do, not just what I could
The thing that isn't brought up enough: just getting lucky.
Background:
I was laid off last September when my company outsourced ~70% of its staff. I work in marketing, so I was one of the first to go.
Even with 10+ years of experience, the job market was brutal. Here’s what actually helped me land interviews — and ultimately a job.
Applying: Stop spraying and praying!
Yes, 80% of jobs are filled through networking. But what if your network gets you nowhere? I reached out to everyone I knew: old coworkers, old neighbors, even an old babysitter from 30 years ago. That got me a few internal referrals, but zero interviews.
So I turned to the grunt work... job boards.
I avoided the “spray and pray” method and took a more surgical approach instead. I combed through the big boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor), startup-focused boards (Otta, Wellfound, and BuiltIn) as well as lots of talent agency boards. For every role, I made sure I was at least a 70% match. In an easier market, you can skate by on transferable skills and charisma. However in this economy, most companies are chasing unicorns.
Once I found a role on one of these boards, I pulled from one of five resume templates I’d built and used LLMs to tailor bullet points for each job. (This is almost a non-negotiable if you're going the cold-apply route). I still hit the usual walls: instant rejections, ghosting, etc. But I also got real traction too.
Over 9 months, I submitted ~200 highly tailored applications and landed interviews at 12 companies. And don't think I'm some rockstar candidate either. I’ve got gaps on my resume, multiple career pivots, and a weird career trajectory. But I mapped out my story well, and used keywords strategically. I made it to late stages a few times, but no offers... at least, not at first.
Interviewing: Be honest about what you can AND can't do.
You already know the usual advice, e.g. prepare like crazy, ask good questions, etc. And LLMs can be great study partners. But what ultimately got me hired was transparency.
Three months ago, I interviewed for a role that was way more technical than I was qualified for. I tailored my resume to look like a great match, but in the interviews, it became clear I was struggling to back that up.
Before the final round (and a giant take-home project), I sent the hiring manager a candid note. I told her I respected their time, and I didn’t think I was the right fit for the role — but I’d love to stay in touch in case something aligned better down the road. I also highlighted my real strengths and interest in the company.
She thanked me for the honesty and that was that, or so I thought.
Last week, she reached back out. On our call, she said none of the candidates were quite right technically… but I was the only one who actually admitted it. That stuck with her. She believed with mentorship I could grow into the role — and that culture fit mattered more to her than a perfect skill match.
Luck: There is no secret sauce, other than getting lucky in the end.
I don't think this comes up enough, but the stars truly just need to align sometimes for a job offer to work out. Even when you think you've done everything perfectly, and you get nothing in return, it feels like the universe is upside down. And then one day you'll get hit with something totally out of left field.
In my case, a key team member was going on leave and thus I was needed more urgently. If the company had more time, they probably would have kept searching for their rockstar unicorn. But the fact that this person was leaving (combined with my transparency) created this lucky combo which resulted in an offer.
TL;DR
If you're cold applying, ask yourself: Are you actually a realistic fit for the role? Can you convincingly sell yourself as one?
Tailored applications >>> mass applying.
Being honest — even when it feels risky — can work in your favor. Not always, but often enough.
And finally: luck plays a part in all of this. In my case, someone on the team was going on leave, which made filling the role more urgent.
Nothing about this process if fair or reasonable. For me, I both put in a lot of effort AND got lucky. The same thing will happen for you too!