I sent CVs out for 18 months. Not a thing, except a quite impressive file of PFO letters, which propped the doors open in the summer months and provided excellent kindling material for the winter.
Two really important things to do:
1. Change your game plan - If sending out CVs is not working then you have to adjust your plan. Ask yourself what else you can do to just put yourself that little bit ahead of everyone else.
2. Network - It is vital to network. You don't want to be the one stuck in a pile of CVs. You want to be the person who has been personally recommended by someone, which again puts you back at point 1. You stand out from the crowd.
It worked for me. I networked like mad, and have made some great friends, many of which work for major airlines. It's a small world and many of them know each other too. I changed my plan and paid for my type rating. A recommendation was put forward by a Captain I know, and after a 1 hour interview I had a right hand seat job in a 737.
I am no brain box, and I'm 36 years old, so probably not what you would call exactly what the airlines are looking for. Thing is it worked for me. Alot of it is down to luck for sure, but a great deal of it is also down to decisions I made and the people I know. I am always amazed at how helpful other pilots are to assist in getting someone on the first rung of the ladder.
