My search for a software development job in 2025

Context: Searching for a new senior level software development job over a 9 week period in summer 2025.

Focused mostly on data engineering and backend roles that are in-person or hybrid in the SF Bay Area.
Leads from recruiters on LinkedIn were much more likely to lead to interviews+offers.
The winning offer came through my personal network.
I mostly used Hiring.cafe for prospecting. They're a scraper with an interface I didn't hate.