Last month's job cut count was the highest of any February since 2009, when the financial crisis forced companies into cash preservation mode. CNBC spoke to a dozen people who have been laid off from tech jobs in the past year or so about their experiences navigating the labor market. Additionally, some listings required applicants to have advanced degrees or professional experience in machine learning and artificial intelligence, a new development in Croisant's experience on the job market. "It is a combination of how well you brand yourself, about your access through networking to any given position — to the hidden job market." Still, Powers said she's trying to stay optimistic, "because giving up is not going to get me a job."

---

Persons: Ed Jones, Allison Croisant, Croisant, Roger Lee, Layoffs.fyi, Lee, I'm, Powers, who's, Tayfun, Christopher Fong, Fong, Michael Kascsak, Kascsak, It's, Lee of Layoffs.fyi, Amit Mittal, Amit Mittal Amit Mittal, Mittal, he's, Bill Vezey, —, Vezey, She's, would've, she's, Jennifer Elias Organizations: Afp, Getty, PayPal, Meta, Microsoft, eBay, Unity Software, SAP, Cisco, Wall, CNBC, Google, Anadolu Agency, Nationwide Locations: New York, Omaha , Nebraska, Comprehensive.io, Natchez , Mississippi, View , California, United States, Austin , Texas, U.S, who's, India, Chicago, Santa Cruz , California