Not a satisfying answer if you are that good candidate, but in general companies with this problem don't deserve good employees and should suffer the fate they've created for themselves. Too bad their answer isn't to fix their ever increasingly broken pipeline but rather to run to the government demanding funds and visas to compensate for the non-existent skills shortage. You simply have to accept that companies will continue to make hiring worse and if you're a good candidate, you'll have to accept longer times and more hassle to find a good position, but in the end, it will be worth it to avoid the type of company that hamstrings itself through doubling down on bad policies.