To everyone applying into the darkness. This is for you.
I've been reading posts in this sub for a while now and I just want to say something that doesn't get said enough.
You are not failing. The system is just broken in a way that makes it feel personal.
I've seen the person who applied to 200+ roles with real experience and can't get a single interview. I've seen the person with six years behind them applying to fast food just to survive, not because they gave up but because they're still fighting. I've seen the CS grad burning out three weeks after graduation wondering if the degree was a mistake. I've seen the Senior PM with seven years staying somewhere toxic because the market feels too uncertain to leave. I've seen the person who got an interview after months of silence, finally, and the recruiter laughed at their salary range.
I've seen the person who just stopped telling people they're looking. Because explaining it got too heavy.
Every single one of those people is doing something right. The problem isn't the resume. The problem isn't the experience. The problem is that the job search gives you zero information. You apply blind. You get rejected blind. You never find out why. So you assume the worst about yourself and start the whole loop again.
A few things I've learned from watching this that actually help.
Your resume is probably not the problem. The match is. The same resume can be a 90 out of 100 for one job and a 40 for another. Most people never find out which jobs they're actually right for before they apply.
ATS is filtering you before a human ever sees your name. Keywords matter more than polish. If your resume doesn't mirror the language in the job description it gets buried regardless of how qualified you are.
The gap after college or between jobs is not the death sentence it feels like. What you did during that time, any of it, can be framed. Freelance work, volunteer work, projects, learning. None of it has to be invisible.
The salary question is not a trap if you've done the research. Government data exists. BLS, DOL H-1B disclosures, Census ACS. All public. All free. Know your number before the call.
You don't have to rewrite your resume from scratch every time. You have to tailor it. Those are different things.
Keep going. Not because it's easy or because the market deserves your optimism. But because the loop is breakable. It just needs information instead of silence.
If you're in it right now... you're not alone and you're not doing it wrong.