Another thing I have realized, all the jobs valued php and bit SQL more as basic knowledge for web dev than any nodeJS/MongoDB even if it's just front end, they want some back end understanding. Had some nodeJS things that generated all the front end via express , including chat module and sign up/log in flow, but either it was overlooked or not valued, any 5 minute to do list or crud with anything front end JS seemed more important. I suppose few dare to touch the node ecosystem and nosql databases.
And the most recent one asked me if I can do their front end in react(really overkill, no need), told them I'll do it in vanilla JS, but nope, he insisted on react and that was the end of the story. Was for a MVP and would be the sole dev for a while.
I have found in general that speaking to hr is not useful, if you get past that and a senior dev (not a manager or product owner) interviews me, it would be a good experience.