the leetcode/algo question stuff is mentioned here on HN alot but I've never gotten to the point where a test was actually offered to me. will start practicing though and hopefully an opportunity pops up.
a few years ago i did manage to get a pm/ba type role at a small-medium size agency. giant mess of a place (norm for that industry i guess) but it was a meat grinder - all about billable hours (which were hard to come by since every project was undersold and over budget), which meant I worked 50+ hours every week with no salary increase or bonus. burnt out and left when it was obvious there was no opportunity there. although to your point the place was a revolving door and SO many hires were gone after 3-6 months, so perhaps ill look for places like that.
i don't have any public facing repos, so i'll clean some up and try to emphasize that a bit more.
in terms of interviewing, no opportunities so no experience. in the past ive had to apply to roughly 80 jobs to get one interview. recruiters on linkedin are a little better at ~30 conversations per interview but its plain exhausting, takes a ton of time, they demand replies instantly or ghost, but really its overwhelmingly likely they'll ghost me anyways.
its been a while since the last round of attempts so ill give your suggestions a shot in a few weeks. thanks
Mid 30s, a couple corporate experiences (non sw) and the rest “freelance”. Usually raises suspicion (lack of continuity) or gets discounted as not meaningful/relevant. Do entry levels consider anyone other than new-grads? Haven’t gotten a reply from any in the past.
one interviewer was watching their laptop and typing (slack?) and made almost no eye contact the entire time. it started with dead silence for a bit, then "what questions do you have for me". and that question was repeated 2 or 3 times after I finished with my reply, then it was just over.
another time, after the first 10 or so minutes of talking on the phone, the interviewer said "well I don't know if this department will open up, but you should try applying at company x or company y" and that was it. this was for a new department in the company - I assume they would not be interviewing if it was a long shot, and I was referred by an employee. pure waste of time.
a couple other similar stories I am forgetting at the moment, then the usual ghosting/late arrivals/condescension about education and work history.
been learning and growing for 3 decades starting on a IIe but highlighting that part hasn’t worked so why not experiment with my approach?