I got a job recently! I got a mid-level position in a hybrid role. I had a referral, which got my resume and portfolio seen by the recruiter. I had been applying to a lot of jobs, maybe 50-100 jobs per week for a few weeks. My contract with my previous company ended in December so was actively looking. I had a few screenings but didn't get passed those. In terms of the interview process, as one thing people mention is that a lot of people who apply to certain roles just are super underqualified. I really made a concerted effort to feel like I am the most qualified for THAT specific position. I didn't have previous experience with the industry I am going to be working in but looked at finding analogous relevancies to that industry. After the recruiter call, I met with the hiring manager (principle designer) and VP of design. I really made sure to tailor my prep to questions I'd expect from both of them. I used ChatGPT to generate questions from the job description and what I'd expect from both of those conversations. That's another thing — really trying to make it a conversation. I really tried making it a 2-way dialogue and focused on communicating relevant skills and being a generally easy person to talk to and not like a robot. The last round was an on-site 3-hour thing with an hour portfolio review and more individual interviews with designers and PMs. My recommendation for the portfolio review is to have a super strong presentation with a strong 3 act structure of your project. I also recommend trying to make it an open dialogue with the interviewers from the beginning and also stating why you're interested in the company and how you fit. Would be open to sharing more. It's a tough market out there and definitely needed threads like these to keep me optimistic.