Summary of my recent job search and offer - SWE 20+ yoe

There's been a great deal of panic about the job market here and in r/cscareerquestions , so I thought I'd share my experience.

For a point of reference, I'm an older dev (56), no degree, no FAANG, I got started 24 years ago. Target salary range 160-170k, fully remote.

• Job search began: December 2
• Applications/Resumes Sent: About 40
• Number of interviews: 2 (4 with the company that hired me, 1 with another. That was one that had reached out to me).
• Offer accepted: January 10. (so 1 month of search, but the company that hired me began that process after the first week of searching)
• I only used LinkedIn.
• I only applied to jobs for which my skills were an extremely close match. I sometimes made exceptions for opportunities in industries where I have a lot of experience (usually in ecommerce or education). The one that hired me was a combination of both good tech match and vertical experience (ed related)
• I focused on companies in my NYC area so I could sell the advantage of being able to meet onsite as needed. But I did not hear back from any of those, despite it seeming like a solid strategy.
• I ignored job listings older than a few days, focusing on brand new listings with fewer than 150 applicants
• I tailored my resume for each listing by removing tech completely unrelated to the requirements
• I excluded all but the last 15 years of experience to avoid ageism and dated tech
• I studied Leetcode problems every day, and made great progress. I was not asked to code on my interviews.
• I researched the living sh*t out of the company's history, mission and products.
• When it was my turn to ask questions, I always asked my interviewer what they thought would be most challenging for me about the position. By the next phase, I made sure I could demonstrate expertise in that area.
• I wrote thank you notes to every interviewer