Volunteering for experience is a good thing.

Putting something together like a website that you can demo..good.

You spoke of adding things to your resume that will get you in. Any more, your resume should be customized to the job every time, just like the cover letter.

And to Greg's point, jobs go to folks in the NETWORK. Going to the hotel bar and drinking (unless it is a bar crowded with people in your field) will seal your fate to NEVER get another job.

This is the environment we are in today. In my little town here you can't even get into McDonald's anymore unless you are referred by someone already there or at least someone who knows someone. It is that bad.

Will it improve? Certainly. But not anytime soon.

Also don't know about your location flexibility...you really do need to be able to move to where jobs are if you are in a location where jobs are not.