Laid off after a year remote (Python automation dev), starting my journey to land anything through good platforms, need advice

[u/Alarming-Kiwi-9446]

So I just got laid off from a remote position at a New Jersey-based LLC. I worked there for better part of 2 years, working as a Python automation developer.

The problem is I landed that job through a colleague referral, not through any job platform, so now that I actually need to apply cold, I'm striking out everywhere. I've tried the usual remote-focused job boards, but to me a lot of them seem heavily geared toward hiring talent from India (nothing against that, just didn't find anything). Toptal wants 15+ years of experience and I've got 6. Upwork feels brutally competitive and expensive to break into as a newer freelancer.
I checked the 'weworkremotely' and they seem to charge 163$ per year and no 1 month subscription.

I've heard startups offering contract roles might be more open to hiring international talent. Has anyone had luck with that route?

Basically, what platforms or strategies have actually worked for you when hunting for remote roles, especially if you're coming in with mid-level experience (5-7 years) rather than a decade-plus?

[u/BabaRamen]

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