My hunch is that you're experiencing title inflation.

If I am correct, the hiring manager knows you have 4 years experience and isn't necessarily focused on hiring "Senior" but more interested in people who have a proven track record, which 4 years in is.

The way to really distinguish my guess from reality is to ask a lot of questions about the expected duties. If they fall within or near your current experience then you're all set.

If they are asking you to make big decisions about technical direction or influencing development teams then the hiring manager is really looking for a more experience person. Still, in my opinion, if they're giving you an interview and if you think you can meet the expectations then no harm, otherwise you should pass.

First off, "Senior" is a pretty nebulous term and can mean different things to different people and different companies. Some companies have fairly detailed definitions of what is expected at different levels, and others don't. For the latter, "Senior" likely means "we don't want to have to teach you to code". Whether or not you want to work at a place like that is up to you and the conversation that you have with them in the interview. I wouldn't worry too much about labels, especially in times like these.

It seems like you've got a bit of imposter syndrome. Its normal. You've got four years of experience at multiple companies. I'm sure it will be challenging but its better to push yourself a bit and fail sometimes than stagnate forever. You'll do just fine.

It seems only senior level positions are available, and the few other positions are entry. There are also places that hire based on a flat job title (SWE) and just adjust the price dependent on experience.

There is currently a huge shortage of highly skilled technical jobs. So at least IME in the US, companies are falling over themselves to throw large sums of money at experts that largely don't exist.

Outside of that some really couldn't care less. It may be because the often (and sometimes correctly) think that you will require just as much training to get up to speed, but will want far more money.

Hiring recently has be insanity. It's not just post-covid. Companies have no idea what they want, expect to put little effort into hiring, and reject huge numbers of candidates, but claim the market is bare.

Go for the senior. You might also try to find a company with more casual engineering practices - in my experience, those are more pleasant jobs and produce better software quicker than orgs more focused on process, best practices, etc.

Either you have title inflation or the jobs you're interviewing for has title inflation. Recognizing which is true falls onto you. Since you're already aware and already taking interviews, I instead recommend taking advantage of this according to your situation, which is you've been laid off and probably need a job asap (correct me if I'm wrong). You shouldn't take the layoff and concerns too serious as from what I read you are already progressing into seniority. You should know that on the macro view, layoffs are the norm now for every position.

Be upfront and honest about your skills. Ask questions about their expectations and practices. If anything sounds challenging, talk about that. It sounds like you're reluctant to level up, because you're aware of your blindspots -- that's exactly the kind of intermediate I want to level up.

If you’re after growth, go for those roles. Be clear on what you need as a development plan and any support. Perhaps be honest on your gaps so they know and have those developed as you grow.

4 years of experience is "senior" at a lot of companies. Definitely go for it.

Go for a Senior position, turbocharge your career