Correct-Ad2284's journey

I recently graduated with my MS by Research in June 2026 and have been on the job hunt since May. I've sent out over 1,000 applications for roles in Applied AI, Machine Learning Engineering, and Data Science, but I’m struggling to gain any traction. My background includes work with LLMs, multimodal AI, agentic systems, and ML pipelines, yet the responses have been minimal. I've been proactive on LinkedIn, reaching out for referrals, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm targeting the wrong roles, if my resume or application strategy is flawed, or if I should be focusing more on networking, projects, or interview preparation. I’m not looking for reassurance; I genuinely want honest feedback on what I should change. Am I realistically competitive for ML/AI positions as a recent graduate? Any advice on how to improve my approach would be greatly appreciated.