Unable to switch companies

Hi All,

I'm currently working as an SDE at an NBFC and have been actively looking for a job change for the past six months. Despite consistent efforts—be it cold emails, DMs, updating my Naukri profile, or applying through referrals—I haven’t been able to land enough interview opportunities.

I've even applied for roles that are relatively easier to crack and have lowered my salary expectations, but nothing seems to be working out. Recently, things took an unexpected turn at my current organization—my SMT shifted me from an SDE-2 role to a Data Analyst role. For the past two months, I’ve been working on Excel reports and dashboards, which is completely misaligned with my background and interests. I tried raising my concerns, but it backfired.

I’m at a point where I feel ready to crack interviews—I’ve spent the last six months consistently upskilling, investing 4 to 5 hours daily—but I’m not getting the opportunity to prove myself.

Would appreciate any guidance or suggestions on what I should do next.

Thanks in advance.