Part of why it is so hard is that the hiring process involves so many people who don't know anything about programming. An older friend of mine is great at blow

Part of why it is so hard is that the hiring process involves so many people who don't know anything about programming. An older friend of mine is great at blowing smoke up your butt, and if HR or managers are doing the interviewing, he always gets the job. If technical people are doing the interviewing, he rarely gets the job. The buzzwords he uses sound all warm and fuzzy to the managers, but annoy other programmers so much they autoreject him. His biggest failure is his inability to keep up with modern technology, so he tends not to last more than 6 months. Based on a number of other interviews where I've been on the side looking for candidates, my friend is not a single sample/anecdote; I've seen a lot of other guys like him out there.