Job hunting in difficult times

Every job and client I have had since 2004 has been via LinkedIn, including the latest one where I started in the middle of the pandemic, but for that to happen you need to do a few things.

1. Your profile is the first impression that recruiters and potential employers see in this increasingly connected world. Make sure it is a positive impression.
2. Keep it simple (at least the headline part). The KISS principle has been proven as an effective communication tool. If someone is trying to wade through your profile but it is complicated and difficult to read, it will probably be left by the wayside.
3. Keywords. Ah, the joy of automated tools, but love them or loathe them, they are here and are used a lot to find someone with a matching skill set. Note to recruiters; don't think you will always find a perfect match. Accept a 50% match to at least look at a profile. It is somewhat simpler in engineering perhaps to make sure all the keywords are somewhere in your profile.
4. People skills. Even in (dare I say especially in) engineering, and in particular senior engineering positions, people skills are a must. Don't post disrespectful comments; I do not always agree with some things, but I will disagree in a polite manner. Make sure you clearly have excellent people skills.
5. Veteran? You have skills that many civilians are not aware of - highlight them. Highly trained, self disciplined, capable of changing direction when required and more, veterans make incredible employees. Do a little research on companies that value those attributes (there are awards handed out for this!). The same type of support and awards also exist in the USA.
6. Ask for help. Even if I only share and comment on your post, it will widen the audience dramatically.
7. There are some excellent recruiters that inhabit the deeps of LinkedIn (admittedly some are better than others but you will soon figure out which is which). If they ask you to connect, go ahead. If it turns out they aren't really that good, put it down to experience.
8. Keep a sense of humour; this can be difficult if you have been out of work for some time, but it goes a long way. A positive attitude has been shown to be very influential in career success. I have been ghosted several times clearly due to my age; don't let it get to you. I consider that their loss rather than mine; besides, I wouldn't want to work in such a place anyway,

This is not exhaustive of course (that would be a book which I am not going to write; besides, there are many books already written on the subject).

Whether you are currently looking or not, I know for a fact that these things work.

Good luck!