Here's the best advice I can give. It doesn't always work, but I have had many people come back years later and tell me they took my advice and it worked great.
Forget about applying to posted or advertised jobs. Of course, you can still do that, and even that works for some people some of the time. But it is largely an exercise in futility, unless there is a huge demand and little supply.
When a company advertises it may mean they are required to post for jobs whether they intend to hire from the applicants or not. It may also mean people are quitting with little notice and they are now desperate.
And they are going to be inundated with applicants.
When I advertise for a technician job, I get everything from manicurists to PHDs. I get to the point where I spend about 3 seconds looking for a typo or any other reason I can find to toss the resume.
Most of my best hires happened when someone with the qualifications I need walks in the door and introduces themselves. I often hire them whether I need them or not just so I don't have to weed through hundreds of resumes when I desperately need someone qualified.
So, identify the type of job you want and then identify the types of businesses that use people with your skills and go knock on doors. Networking is great if you know someone at a company where you would like to work, even if they aren't advertising. I can't say this enough, but the best jobs are not advertised. They don't need to advertise. When you apply for an advertised job you become a small digit in a huge numbers game.
Pick out a place you want to work, dress just a little nicer than what you would expect to wear if you did work there and go ahead and sell yourself.
DON'T JUST APPLY TO ADVERTISED JOBS AND SIT ON THE COUCH WAITING FOR A CALL THAT PROBABLY WON'T COME.
