Sadly, his efforts were not very effective. Sometimes he would get as far as getting an interview, but more often than not his efforts would bear no fruit at all. Then one day he began to wonder if it was time to have a look at Recruitment Agencies.
He didn't actually know much about Recruitment Agencies, although he had heard them referred to a "just middlemen" who don't actually contribute anything useful to the process. He was also (mistakenly) under the impression that they only dealt with jobs that were "more difficult to fill".

Over and above that he was a bit concerned as to how much they might charge him for their services. But on this latter point he needn't have worried. Recruitment Agencies normally derive their income only from fees received from the employers for whom they are recruiting.

And so it was that he decided to approach some Recruitment Agencies that were claiming to have several jobs of the kind he was seeking, on their books. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

When a job-seeker turns up at a Recruitment Agency, the recruitment agent will spent some time getting to know that "candidate". He/she will be questioned about skills & qualifications, and about any previous work experience and what sort of job is being sought. Then, armed with this information, the recruitment agent will check through their files of available jobs to look for potential matches.

The Recruitment Agencies, being thoroughly integrated into the jobs market in their market sector, or geographical area, will have a pretty good idea what kinds of candidates are likely to get what kinds of jobs. Not only will they know what jobs are available, but they will also tend to "know" which candidates could reasonably apply for which jobs.

But, returning to the our young man who was job-seeking. Within a few weeks of starting to visit Recruitment Agencies he was invited for an interview for a position as a "technical support person" (computers) with a small company, and at last he was successful.

However, the most interesting part of this story is that this was not actually the kind of job that he had previously been applying for. One of the Recruitment Agencies had spotted his capability in this area, and was aware of the market need, and 'put two and two together'.

Also on the advice of the Recruitment Agencies he had been prepared to accept a temporary position with a view to building up some experience to back up subsequent applications for permanent positions.

But, towards the end of his temporary contract, a permanent opportunity arose with the same company and he was, so to speak, 'in the right place at the right time'. As it turned out, he had received excellent advice from his Recruitment Agencies.