I would say start looking for contract gigs. The interview process tends to be quicker and dirtier. Can you do a,b,c? Have you used tools a.b.c that we use? How

I would say start looking for contract gigs. The interview process tends to be quicker and dirtier. Can you do a,b,c? Have you used tools a.b.c that we use? How fast can you get up and running on our project? Since most contracts are 3-6 month gigs, these companies need to hire someone fast and get a butt in the seat and start building what they need. It's also a sort of trial on both of your parts. You want to see if you like working there and the stuff they have you doing, and the company will see if what you're doing is good and you interact with the project managers well and hit their deadlines. I've had 3 month contracts go on for years, others you might want to just get out as soon as the projects done - which I've also had. Either way, you get some really valuable time in doing what you want - which is to program. It also gives you some decent references you can use to leverage to get a full-time gig somewhere. The weight of a good recommendation can never be underestimated. Also, the only way to get better at interviewing is to keep interviewing. If you have a recruiter, always ask them what to expect. Do I need to dust off my edition of "Pro Javascript Design Patterns" or can I go in cold knowing that the questions will be limited to tools and experience? Is the company looking for a hardcore MVC Spring guy, or do they just need someone who knows Struts? Just knowing what to expect in the interview is half the battle.