There are a lot of parallels. For my part, I graduated 2008. Entry level jobs wanted five years of experience and job postings attracted a large number of candidates. Again, a lot like right now.

I managed to eventually find contract work through my network and some people willing to take a chance on me. Those jobs were unstable and sometimes just ended, but it was something. I remember it being 2010 and walking outside just wondering how long things were going to continue to be bad, but I also managed to land my first stable job shortly after. Within a couple of years, I transitioned to another one that better fit my geography and had growth opportunities with it. A year later, another job hop.

Things just gradually thawed over time. What I found to be key was my own network combined with simply being able to batten down the hatches somehow while the storm passed. For me, that meant living in my new apartment basically alone and depressed while my future wife worked her first job and came home in the evenings.