After a year of being laid off, I got a job that honestly didn't pay well and was not a healthy environment from the get-go. I stuck with it and only applied to jobs that I felt was worth the little free time I had, and these were the results. I ended up with a job that is so much better in every way (pay, commute, stability, balance), and makes me happy.
Part of me wonders what was the biggest factor in me being more successful - was it the current employment experience, or only really applying to ones that I felt were fit for me. Because I just distinctively remember being disheartened by an HR person once when they were shocked (turned off, even) that I was unemployed despite all my experience, and that they couldn't even fathom why I hadn't found a job by then (they rejected me lol). I just hope everyone stuck out there gets what they want and hope for.
