I had a really nice job hunt this time around because: - I quit my job to work on a side project in a specific space (voice AI for me). - Spent three months s

I had a really nice job hunt this time around because: - I quit my job to work on a side project in a specific space (voice AI for me). - Spent three months shipping a few things and sinking into the area. - Apply to jobs in that space, custom cover letter if applicable. - Reach out directly to hiring people/engineers on LinkedIn for those companies, if it is engineers I usually say things like "did you also struggle with 'x'", "I solved 'Y' by doing __" - Be genuinely interested in that space. ~50% reach out to interview rate using that strategy.