The job market is tough these days and getting a decent paying job after the 10's of thousands of layoffs over the past year has made landing another job insanely difficult.
That said, I was able to get in with a staffing company that was doing some work for a bank. I went through 2 interviews and they loved me. I tend to interview well once I get through the AI resume filters.
This was a specialty position with the bank, not financial services or a teller or anything, this position had more to do with marketing and advertising and was set to pay $85/hr in a senior level role.
This comes after 6 months of looking for a job. Given that this is a contract position to start at a bank, I was required to go through 3 background checks including an FBI screening that required them taking my finger prints and everything. I signed my employment papers and everything and I was set to start on a Monday.
Well just my luck but the preceding week was filled phone calls from the staffing agency about how they goofed and they weren't authorized to staff me for the position and that they would get me transfered. Then they come back saying they got that dorted but the VP was having second thoughts about my particular position. Mind you, this is after a 2 week interview process and another 2 weeks of the most thorough background check process I've ever been through.
Finally the Friday before my start date, I get a call from the staffing agency telling me I can't start due to budgetary reasons dispite everything getting approved weeks prior.
A colossal waste of time and effort. It's a bank with more money than Elon, but tightening it's belt over a single person after wasting weeks of my time.
Not sure there's anything I could have done differently tbh.