We probably need a little more information to help. In my experience, I got enough very close matches from past companies (1 or 2) that I didn't need to look at

We probably need a little more information to help. In my experience, I got enough very close matches from past companies (1 or 2) that I didn't need to look at other promising candidates. The number of applicants is irrelevant -- what matters is the number of good applicants that are a match for what I am looking for and I only need 1. There is generally a shortage of engineers, but you still need to find a good match for what you can offer. 1. Are you applying to jobs where your skills/level/location match what was being advertised? 2. Is that clear from your application? Did you write a custom cover letter that specifically draws attention to the match? 3. Generally what level are you? What is your strongest tech stack/language? Location? I recommend trying out other places. I got my current job on careers.stackoverflow.com -- if you need an invite, email me at loumfranco on gmail. There is also hired.com.