Cover letters? What is this, the '50s? Email, no attachments except your resume.
And get a little creative about your hunt. Instead of looking for job listings, create a list of 100 firms for which you want to work. Give them your background in an email (be brief), and tell them you'd like to know more about what they need. When you exhaust the list, create another. Do. Not. Quit.
If you don't have connections, this modern-day equivalent of cold calling is another way to go about it.
But don't blame it on employers. They know what they want, and it isn't the version of you you're presenting.
Any company that has to advertise for employees isn't worth working for. The only way to get a decent job with a good company is for the job hunter to find a company that they want to work for, and then go sell themselves.
And get a little creative about your hunt. Instead of looking for job listings, create a list of 100 firms for which you want to work. Give them your background in an email (be brief), and tell them you'd like to know more about what they need. When you exhaust the list, create another. Do. Not. Quit.
If you don't have connections, this modern-day equivalent of cold calling is another way to go about it.
But don't blame it on employers. They know what they want, and it isn't the version of you you're presenting.
Suggestion: Learn Spanish and work on call for $11/hour. In 2 years apply for another job.
Just pull a George Costanza and make a fake resume with tons of credentials. If they check, oh well. If they don't, hello new job.