I have worked at small firms all the time but I rarely feel like I've done much impact. If I did I would ostensibly have more people vouching for my work and getting more interviews via referrals.

But I don't have this reputation, so it seems like I'm a major outlier. A person who has only worked for small companies but nevertheless feeling disposable or mundane in the grand scheme of things. I did not learn the importance of creating value.

Maybe it's due to my perpetual contractor status? As never working legally as an employee, I'm not expected to have much stake in the business, or its decision-making. I didn't intend to always be a contractor. I took a contract-to-hire job right out of school, but the "hire" part never came. The company moved the goalposts.

> Work on interview prep should be as much about social skills as technical.

This is exactly what I mean about having trouble finding good reliable resources for reading one's interview approach. There is no structured interviewing platform that focuses on soft skills, that I know of. No "cracking the soft skills interview" book.