How do you go about getting or changing a job (or internship)? None of mine have been through online or automated application processes. They've been through career fairs, my network and through work arounds to get direct access to hiring individuals through a bit (or a lot) of internet research and intelligence gathering.
With this variety of job pursuit efforts, the common denominators were work ethic, preparedness and ability to figure things out. Obviously, these are pretty easy to prove when getting help from professional friends - they'll vouch for you. With career fair job pursuits, you can prove this by scouting attendee lists before attending. You can then make your top 10 or top 5 list and get to them early. Don't show up uneducated. If you ask a basic question that can be easily found on the website, consider yourself disqualified. Ask for more information on something you found a few pages deep on the company web page or ask about the career fair representative's career but don't ask what kind of work they focus on.
Now, it seems like nearly everything can be found on the internet. So, you can apply to online jobs but your best bet is to do a but of due diligence and research the position, the HR/recruiter doing the search and if you can work hard enough and get a bit lucky, the actual person needing to hire who is likely going to be the supervisor. If you can track down the supervisor, you are in direct contact with the most important person in the hiring process. It might also show that you can put in some work and figure things out to help you succeed which can indicate your willingness to work hard and figure things out on the job if hired.
Wherever you are in your career, keep working and don't lose faith. If you work hard and produce, you'll eventually get promoted. If you aren't promoted at your current company, someone else will likely value your skills and abilities and be excited to bring you on at the right time. .
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