You haven't really made a good-faith effort or started looking for work until you've sent a thousand resumes and filled out a few months of applications. If you haven't had a response by then, send a thousand more.

Especially with smaller operators, my experience over several decades has been that while resumes may collect on the chief pilot's desk, it's often the person standing on the other side of the desk with his hat in hand and handshake over the desk, that gets the job when the opening comes due. Make a point to visit in person. When I hired in a 135 positions, I always appreciated the guys that showed up in person. Especially those who flew in.

I also gave a lot more weight to resumes with cover letters that personalized. "To Whom it May Concern," is all good and well, but a resume and cover letter addressed to the company and specific party by name is far better...so take the time to research each one when you prepare your applications and plan your visits.

Many years ago I was let go from a corporate department that decided to sell their Sabreliner, and was looking for work, at a time when it wasn't easy to come by. I travelled with a brief case and a stack of resumes, each addressed individually. I called an operator who said he wasn't hiring, and didn't want to talk to job-seekers. I told him I'd heard good things about him, was in the area, and would like to stop by and shake his hand. He said come on over. We met, chatted, and he asked if I had a resume. I left with the job. It's worth noting that at that time, when looking, sent out a large number of resumes and applications, and visited a lot of operators before that opportunity materialized. The point is don't stop looking, make the effort, and when you get discouraged, keep looking.