My case didn't involve a gap of a few years between initial applications and eventually getting a role, but I did apply for (and get rejected from) a lot of roles before I was accepted to one, so it might still fit the spirit of your question.
I learned about EA in 2018, and started applying for EA-aligned roles in 2019. I applied for ~30 roles that year, ~25 of which were at EA orgs, most but not all of which were research or research-ish roles. Some were things like internships, but most were jobs.
I ended up with 2 offers, both jobs at EA orgs. One was an operations role and one was a research role. I took the research role.
In contrast, in 2020, with some EA research experience under my belt, I applied for ~11 roles at EA orgs (mostly research roles), and ultimately received 4 offers (all research roles).
So I got ~28 rejections before my first EA-related job offer, but then I got one, and since then I've been very happy with how things have gone.
I say a bit more about this process here, and about how I "got up to speed" on EA ideas here (which was probably part but not all of how I ultimately got these job offers). I also collect some readings and notes related to doing high-impact research here. Hope some of that's helpful!
And I also endorse Khorton's comment that the EA community probably overemphasises working at EA orgs. I'd add that it probably overemphasises research roles too. (I of course do think that research roles and roles at EA orgs can be highly impactful, and that some people should be doing them! I just think many other things can be highly impactful too, and will fit some people better.) So I think EAs who haven't yet tested their fit for many things should probably consider and apply to a lot of non-research roles and roles outside of explicitly EA orgs.
I applied for a research role at GWWC a few years ago (?2015 or so), and wasn't selected. I now do research at FHI.
In the interim I worked as a public health doctor. Although I think this helped me 'improve' in a variety of respects, 'levelling up for an EA research role' wasn't the purpose in mind: I was expecting to continue as a PH doctor rather than 'switching across' to EA research in the future; if I was offered the role at GWWC, I'm not sure whether I would have taken it.
There's a couple of points I'd want to emphasise.
1. Per Khorton, I think most of the most valuable roles (certainly in my 'field' but I suspect in many others, especially the more applied/concrete) will not be at 'avowedly EA organisations'. Thus, depending on what contributions you want to make, 'EA employment' may not be the best thing to aim for.
2. Pragmatically, 'avowedly EA organisation roles' (especially in research) tend oversubscribed and highly competitive. Thus (notwithstanding the above) this is ones primary target, it seems wise to have a career plan which does not rely on securing such a role (or at least have a backup).
3. Although there's a sense of ways one can build 'EA street cred' (or whatever), it's not clear these forms of 'EA career capital' are best even for employment at avowedly EA organisations. I'd guess my current role owes more to (e.g.) my medical and public health background than it does to my forum oeuvre (such as it is).
Thanks for the suggestions.
do you have an example?
Agreed that I should have a backup. But why does it seem unwise? Based on what? Have you looked at the possible impact based on replaceability and displacement chains?
What else is there to do I don't know, other than working in s