Try the temp agencies WHILE you are searching independently. Of the last 50 people I hired, at least 45 of them came as a result of them working as temps for me (mostly general labour). Many employers that I talk to do not hire direct any more at all...a temp to perm type of arrangement allows both parties to have a look at one another before commiting to a full employment arrangement...it's too costly to hire the wrong person these days!
Emphasize what you can do, schooling etc, and find friends to give you references...a special client may not be able to hire you but he might be able to give you a solid credible reference. One 'trick' I have seen used (yeah, I hired him after he'd been in jail for 2 years, but he actually did a good job, and I only found out years later) is to put down a reference from a bankrupt company in an unrelated industry...virtually impossible to check the reference, and you wouldn't be missing skills/experience in the new employers field. Technically, you have been employed, in sort of a customer service & relations type of field, so you could build on that angle and the resume would only be a slight distortion of the truth.
Employers aren't stupid enough to believe no one lies on their application...it is almost expected. The trick to a good resume that I'm going to actually look at is a level of modesty...don't give me colored paper, I don't want more than 1 piece of paper for the resume itself, and don't give me a pile of information I shouldn't legally ask. I'm looking for someone who is going to make money for the company, not a date. Sometimes what a prospect might think is a whole lot experience I interpret as being unable to hold a steady job.
And no, sorry, I just hired a personal assistant for myself in December and I don't need a second right now.
