[gerdesj]

Well my little company has at least three employees that came back again after leaving. Two of them are still here. We are not particularly interesting ...

What I'm advocating for here is trying out new (old) methods of waving your CV/resume at an employer.

I graduated as a civil engineering technician (BTEC HND) in the UK in 1990. I did a "sabbatical" ... cough rag (basically pissed up for a year for charity is a fair description of that).

The building industry in the UK collapsed in 1991 along with a rather nasty recession.

Obviously I ended up in IT! It took a while but I completely reskilled and to cut a very long story short in 2000 me and a couple of other chaps formed a little company that is still running.

Enough of me.

Getting hired is hard but I would suggest that you don't simply rely on Linked In.

[t0mpr1c3]

Good advice. Job boards are actually the lowest probability option. The trouble is, they are often still the best option.

When you don't have previous experience or contacts in the industry you can wait a long time for an opportunity.

Interning, open source, microqualifications, freelancing, self employment -- I've done the lot.

What I have learned is: work for your salary, but always keep your eye on the next job.

The marketplace is extremely transactional. Expect to provide value from day 1, and forget working your way up.