how many people am I competing with??

Occasionally I take a look at craigslist job postings in other cities around the country. I've checked out Atlanta, D.C., Portland (fantasizing about going back), and Chicago.  As I perused the very few job openings in Chicago, I looked at a post for a Border Patrol Agent for the Northern border. (I think?) I don't actually want to do that, but I was curious. It was an updated post saying the position was now closed after receiving 12,000 ELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS!! People were more than welcome to send their resume for future consideration, however. WOW. After reading that I thought to myself, how many people am I actually competing with every time I send a job application? Dozens? No, it was dozens in 2006. Hundreds? Thousands? I'd love to see the math. If 11% of Orange County residents are unemployed and there are ____ job openings, how many applicants does an open job receive (on average)? I'm sure it depends on the industry, but I think the point is clear. 

The old tactics of faxing or mailing your resume as well as emailing to make yourself stand out, or calling to speak with an actual person, or even physically going to introduce yourself are no longer an option. Employers are emphatically saying NO FAXES, NO PHONE CALLS, NO DROP-INS, or things along those lines. So what can you do? If anyone comes across this blog, have you had success finding work? What did you do to make yourself stand out from the bagillion other people that submitted resumes? At this point I am guessing a personal contact is my only hope, but so far the few networks I do have don't know of any openings. What about staffing agencies? Do they work? Do non-profits use those? 

So many questions. Like I said before, I haven't been as committed to the job search as I should be. This week I did send two applications, and will be sending another tomorrow. I'll follow up via email (since that's my only option according to their instructions) next week. I know I have to be more dedicated and send multiple apps per week. Eventually someone has to at least want to interview me right? In the meantime, maybe I should try to eek out some time to try volunteering or interning to get me in the door. That probably sounds weird since most people assume the unemployed have nothing but time on their hands. But between babysitting, applying for jobs, watching t.v. and hating myself, there is little time left to volunteer. 

Til next time.