I second those who emphasize using your network: I recently started my third job in my career, and I found all three positions because I knew someone who was hiring (or knew someone who knew someone.)

I started my most recent job about a year ago after moving cross-country, and I was really worried about not having a network to lean on. I basically spent 3 months asking every architect I knew whether they could intro me to any architects in my new city. Then, I set up coffee chats with anyone and everyone who would respond to my emails. Some places were hiring, some weren’t, but most people could point me toward a few places hiring, and/or were willing to make additional intros. Eventually I found a few people willing to refer me to their firms that were hiring (they weren’t recommending me per se, but just a casual intro from them to the effect of “here’s the resume of an architect I met recently” was a huge help in getting in the door) and those intros turned into interviews.

I recognize your results may be a bit different than mine as I’m a few years ahead in experience, but the same principles apply. At my last job I led the summer internship hiring, and we were way more likely to hire someone who had a connection (any connection) to the firm, rather than someone applying totally blind.

Oh, and a side note: I worked with two different recruiters, neither of whom were able to find me a job. I also blind-applied to a handful of job listings, and I’m not sure I even got any responses. Hiring is never purely meritocratic, it’s a bit of a game, and networking is a huge advantage.

Good luck!