I know what I'm going to say will do very little to help but just know those feelings of frustration that you're getting is perfectly normal! Grinding day after day only to be constantly told "we're not looking at this time" or "our insurance minimums are X" is a tough pill to swallow so there is no shame in feeling the way you're feeling.
I know I'm not the only one that feels jaded but how does one cope??? Head south and get an instructor rating on VET help...
I can assure you that I considered tossing it in and doing exactly this a fair few times along the journey to that first gig. After a couple of months of job hunting, I began to doubt myself and whether or not I had what it takes to make it. Interestingly, after talking to some friends who were also job hunting in different parts of the country, they were thinking the exact same things. Despite these feelings though, you have to pick yourself up and dust yourself off because a chance will come no matter what if you keep battling through it. In terms of coping, a few things worked for me. First and foremost, having a good circle of friends and family to talk/vent to. They honestly made a world of difference, especially when you're starting to feel a bit lost with it all. The next thing that I found helpful was just reflecting on where I was 6 months ago, a year ago etc etc. I thought back to 16 year old me who would have killed just to have a RPL let alone a CPL. I looked back to when I was getting ready to do my IR thinking "boy, I have no idea how I'm going to manage this" and seeing how far I had come. It's not easy to pack everything into a suitcase and uproot yourself from where you feel most comfortable so feel bloody proud of what you've done, even if you haven't managed to get that interview yet.
Now on the topic of interviews, the thing you've got to truly understand is it comes down to "right time, right place". I went 6 months meeting people, never getting a sniff of an interview. Most companies had either recently hired or were looking for more experience. Then one day, I just happened to walk in the day that the chief pilot wanted to hire someone and was given an interview. If I had walked in a day earlier or later, I wouldn't have gotten that job. It was just pure chance that I was in the right place at the right time. My piece of advice while you wait for that opportunity is to keep your head in the books. Know your regs, know your day VFR requirements and have a solid knowledge of the aircraft you can be expected to operate because when you do happen to be in the right place at the right time, you don't want to leave anything up to chance. Being on top of the theory is the only thing you can directly control on this wild journey so stay sharp!
Everyone gets a job in the end, just not as fast as we'd like sometimes
