I've been on the job hunt for the past 2.5 months, focusing my efforts on finding a remote software engineering role. In that time, I sent out 16 applications and received 2 offers. With 6 years of experience under my belt, I made a strategic decision to only apply to positions that closely matched my background. I ensured that the core skills required for each job aligned with my experience, and I tailored my resume for every application, even though I initially filtered roles based on how well they matched my qualifications. Before applying, I looked at several key factors: the job title and seniority level needed to fit my background, the required years of experience had to match mine, and I made sure the role was remote and available in my location. I also aimed to meet almost all of the must-have requirements, and I focused on positions where the responsibilities closely mirrored my previous work. To streamline this process, I utilized ChatGPT to analyze job descriptions against my resume, helping me identify how well my experience matched the key requirements and responsibilities. I prioritized core requirements over preferred skills, which I found to be less critical. I was quite selective in my applications, applying to fewer jobs but only those where I felt I had a strong chance of success.