Can't relate. I work in software dev, and had to do a bout of job applications over a few weeks a bit ago.
Nearly every single job responded back asap confirming they got my application.
Most of the declines emailed me back to inform me they declined a week or two later.
I got several interviews, looking to asap connect.
Most were normal and standard process. One was way too many steps and wasted my time.
I got three offers tabled, and all were fine to give me a day or two to mull it over.i accepted the best offer and total was only unemployed for about 5 weeks total.
What I can say is hot damn has ChatGPT made the application process take like 1/10th the work lol
Did I make a simple little copy paste for chatgpt to quickly construct my cover letters? You bet your ass I did.
Did one job call me out on it? Yes they did. And they liked it and expressed that having someone who was comfortable using AI tools was actually a plus.
I sent out an LOT more than 20 applications though. I was averaging about 6 to 7 a day over 2 weeks, so prolly close to 120+ applications total.