Since there are currently no posts mentioning this, if you have down time, build something.

Not because it will make you rich, but because it shows you have the grit to actually do something. It will also keep your skills fresh and/or grow them.

These things do make a huge difference to hiring managers.

Hunting for work in a down economy is hard and depressing. Building something is a excellent way to stave off depression. Much better than self-pity, alcohol, drugs, videos games, or doom scrolling.