I was laid off at the end of last year and at the time I felt pretty bad about it. To land that job I spent the longest period in my entire career applying to j

I was laid off at the end of last year and at the time I felt pretty bad about it. To land that job I spent the longest period in my entire career applying to jobs and I was extremely worried I'd have to repeat that process. But you know what: there is something fundamentally different about the job market at this point of time, during this time of year. This is only anecdotal but I'm seeing some of the best companies hiring for new positions. I'm seeing new, very promising startups spring up that are managing to raise money in a crushing bear market (I work in FinTech which due to regulation and a serious number of horrible events have sent the industry to its lowest point yet.) If you're currently jobless you have one amazing advantage for you: January is the best possible time of year to find roles. Don't be discouraged when you see jobs with hundreds of applications. Most people just mass spam and aren't even remotely qualified. If you have the experience the best way to get hired is to engage with the job post. Show that you've read it, that you understand the companies mission, that you understand how the company is uniquely positioned and what value they're trying to create compared to everyone else. Then talk about how you can help solve their main challenges to make them successful. I guarantee you will stand out above everyone else who is just spamming generic cover letters. But this means only applying to jobs that also stand out to you. tl; dr: im getting interviews just like every other time when the market was actually healthy. At the very least this is the best time of year to apply. So take advantage of it while you can.