In 2026 are people getting job interviews in tech?

I've been applying to jobs on/off for close to a year now. I have done a little bit of the "spray and pray" method, applying to a lot of different jobs, but for the majority of the jobs I've applied to I've worked to tailor the resumé to the job description.

A year in—and almost a 100 applications submitted—not so much as a screening call.

Thankfully, I'm currently employed, so the situation isn't catastrophic.

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My partner put in over 400+ job apps over two years. (Which included tailoring them to the job) he went back to school to get his masters to be more competitive and was able to get 2 internships and finally landed the job through one of them and will start in a couple of months.

likeupliftingsmart

If you’re not getting interviews, it might be your resume. I’ve been looking for 9 months, sent over 600 apps, talked to over 40 companies. I use the same resume for all. Things seem to be picking up slightly but it’s a tough market for sure.

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No I used Claude and a custom gpt for product people that I found. That helped improve it a lot.

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I've submitted hundreds of apps and gotten half a dozen interviews and zero offers. Welcome to the "new normal".

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Yes they are. Your chances are slim if you are just relying on online application. It was slim in any market.

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Networking. Anyone can hit a referral button. You need to have connections in the company , people who can actually vouch for you. A lot of people confuse referral with connection - it’s not an “or”, it’s an “and”. You need someone who is actively making a case for you

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Honestly, tech job hunt these days is a total grind. I got super close to giving up last year after 80+ apps and just a couple interviews - felt like I was walking into a black hole. The tailoring part is good, but these ATS things are brutal. A single font issue or missing keyword and it's like your resume doesn't even exist!

One thing that helped my friend was running his resume through a bunch of those ATS scanners (think ResumeJudge, Resume Worded, Jobscan), just to see what was getting filtered out. Turned out he was missing like two really basic keywords and his section headers were all messed. Fixed that and suddenly started getting more callbacks.

Curious, when you "tailor" your resume, are you mostly rewording bullets or also matching skills/keywords from the posting? Sometimes the smallest stuff makes a difference.

Also, you ever spot-check your resume with one of those tools? If you haven't, it's kinda eye-opening which sections get skipped by the bots.

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well at least you know which part to focus on. In my opinion the last stage they are looking for reasons not to hire you, so best move at that stage is say as little as possible so as to not ruin their impression that you're the perfect candidate and let the other guy say something that makes them lose the job. If you're getting to last stage, just a matter of time before one clicks. It's just statistics and your process is working.

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Yes, some of us are. I’ve gotten quite a few in a 6 months span. I finally got an offer.
You need to have a very strong resume with metrics to show results not just responsibilities. The game has changed drastically. Recruiters and hiring managers are very picky about who they choose to interview amongst the hundreds of applicants. You have to meet close to 100% of requirements. The game is in their corner with all the cards in their hands. Apply early. Prepare well even for the initial interview with the recruiter, be ready! Also, don’t forget to network your a** of, it’s your best chance to land an interview. In my case I got lucky with a standard application, but I had an edge (have a security clearance from a previous employer, that helped me land the job).
Oh by the way, 100 applications in a year is nothing. I’ve submitted 100+ per month.
Best of luck with your search!

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For most it was a custom resume tailored for the role requirements. Some that had general requirements I used a standard resume

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Bro, your a director of engineering 😭😭 if your not getting interviews then most likely no one else is either lol

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Similar situation as you. Lots of applying on and off. I have gotten some interviews but usually fall through or no offer at the end. Good thing I have a job right now but the market is terrible. Companies are very flaky and everyone seems to want a AI expert.

I feel like maybe hands on devs have a better chance but not sure.

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9 months, maybe ~40 applications and at least 2 new recruiter calls every week. Got into interview processes for about 8-9 companies. Low ball offers (essentially offers so bad it's like they WANTED me to turn it down).

Granted I'm not in the American market but yeah it's tough out there in 2025/26 despite having a bunch of years of solid experience.

It's even tougher out there if you're not a senior IC. Early stage managers aren't getting anything in those areas and are heading back to IC roles. Juniors and grads are straight up giving up. Mid levels are joining tiny sieving start ups or making their own.

So... OP... I have NO idea what that's like for a director level role.

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I'm getting a lot of interviews. Not every job is interesting or offers the right comp. But worst case its a friendly little visit. I have a nice survival fund so I have no intention of jumping for the first job unless its pretty good. BTW, anyone else wonder if the modern age of video interviews is mainly to save a few dollars taking the interviewee for lunch?

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What can I do here?

TOYE - 10 years
Skill set - RPA, UiPath, C sharp

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When I was a device driver developer with 2 years relevant experience I had got calls from Nvidia and Qualcomm. Unfortunately I wasn't able to crack the interviews back then.

For next 5 years I worked mostly on application development and broadening my exposure. I am not getting even a single call from such companies now.

Is it a good idea to rebrand myself as a device driver developer so that I can get calls again?

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#cgiindia.

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