Everything you said about searching through job sites being a numbers game is true but there’s something else going on.

At least anecdotally myself and several others in my social circle have been getting referrals from others in said social circles, and then just not getting contacted. The people making the referrals also can’t get an answer out of their hr departments.

It really feels like there’s a silent hiring freeze or companies in general have gotten so excited by the buyers market for labor that they have gotten insanely picky