SWE job hunt data: 1 application in 2014 to 167 applications and 16 months in 2026
brandon_galang · x · 2026-10-17
Developer ChShersh shared his per-job-search stats: from 2014-2021 he typically landed offers with a single application within days (often via connections), while his 2026 search took 167 applications, 54 interviews, and 1 year 4 months.
Brandon Galang, now at Vercel, echoed this, calling 2025-2026 the roughest job search he's experienced and advising struggling candidates not to take it personally — "it's an entirely different game now." The data illustrates how dramatically the tech hiring market has shifted from days-long cycles to year-long ordeals.
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