Que the arrogant posts of the fortunate now, swooping in to remind you that they worked hard, had a good personality, and read books in residency - while you must have been the guy who was a slacker who "they wouldn't trust with slides from themselves or family members" and other such nonsense. So many people are in the right place at the right time, starting the job search on 3rd base and thinking they hit a triple.
All right, since it's somewhat directed at me, I'll take the bait. In part because I was being brief in my previous post and largely generalizing. Still, what I said there (in general) holds true, even you don't want to believe it. As you may have noticed, no one else "swooped in" to refute this.
In residency, I worked about as hard as everyone else in my program. We didn't read much, there wasn't ever much time for that. As for my personality, it's an acquired taste. I rubbed quite a few people the wrong way, in fact. Actually, so much so, that I had to go elsewhere for fellowship. At least I have enough insight to know exactly what particular aspects of my personality grate on people, also, what my strength and weaknesses are. Most importantly, I try to be myself. That may sound cliche, but I see a lot of folks in medicine pretending to be someone they're not; either by inflating their cognitive abilities, their interpersonal/"empathy" skills, or a myriad of other traits, and usually failing miserably. Anyhow, thanks to that, I have gained the respect of people whose references I can actually count on and whose opinions actually matter.
I started my job search half way through my 4th year. I wasn't geographically restricted, but I had a few strikes against me. Beyond the existent or non-existent "personality" issue, I was an IMG with potential visa issues. I cast the net far and wide, and networked quite extensively. I got a ton of non-responses, lots of "we've had too many outstanding candidates apply for this position", a few "you're not the candidate we're looking for", but ultimately I did have a few interview offers, and I went to a few of them. I secured a contract with almost 6 months to spare. Was I at the right place at the right time? Well, of course! Timing can be everything. It was the perfect job in a great place with some great people. But, it's not like the job opening was there all along, just waiting for me, like a long sought after soul-mate. I was at it for a year at this point.
Still, I don't recall ever saying to myself or coming on here to whine how much the job market sucks. And perhaps there is a reason, and since this has turned into one of these feel-good pull oneself up by one's bootstraps quasi-sentimental stories, I'll tell you my theory as to why. Prior to going into medicine I was in another industry, and having had to look for a job then I can tell you that it wasn't all roses. I didn't feel entitled to a job then, and I certainly don't now.
So, what makes you so special?
