Sometimes, some companies, will hire if they find a interesting candidate but few are able to evaluate what a suitable candidate is.

Agencies simply collect data and will consume your time with intake interviews. This keeps their metrics up and allows them to claim they have such and such number of CVs, on their databases. The less scrupulous just do it, to sell your private data.

Also upskilling or workforce skill development has grounded to a halt. Companies assume you are supposed to become a Rust expert or do your AWS certifications on your own time and cost...

Dont know your background but particularly in Belgium and the Netherlands if you get too many: "...there was no personal fit with the team..." it just means you are not blonde and are too ethnic for their environment.

Doesn't make me eager to jump back into the job search even though I probably should start looking for something else soon, I've been at my current role for almost five years now, and have been getting the itch. But I suspect it's going to be a pain to find something new.

I think there are roles available for other types of skill-sets, For example, "Product Engineer" seems to be the new full-stack. Now anyone with some technical background can vibe code anything in a few hours companies are starting to merge product and engineering into one, cutting those who can't or are unwilling to do both.

There's also some demand for skilled AI Engineers.

Anyone whose just a frontend or backend guy is going likely going to really struggle to find anything in this new world. I'd consider trying to rebrand your skills a little and seeing if you have any luck.

I've been saying this since late 2022 at this point, but people need to assume this is their last SWE job. You might still be able to find work in tech, but you'll struggle to find traditional SWE jobs going forward.

Also, being unemployed for 6+ months is stupid unless you genuinely don't need the money. You're better off just taking a job for 50-60% of your previous salary if you're going to be out of work for the majority of the year.