NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- Rachel Gold and Anthony Barberio do n't have much in common . Rachel Gold has applied for more than 650 jobs online but has had fewer than a dozen interviews . Gold is 28 years old and worked in recruiting after graduating from college . Barberio is 46 and never went to college but made his way on Wall Street for 20 years . Despite their differences , they have one thing in common : Both were laid off last year and still are looking for jobs . Gold was laid off in November from a recruiting firm . `` I definitely did n't think that I 'd be sitting here nine months later without employment , '' she says . She has focused her job search on social networking Web sites , making contacts with recruiters that could someday lead to a job . Each week , she sets up meetings with potential future employers even though there may not be jobs open at the time . Gold also has applied for more than 650 jobs online but has had fewer than a dozen interviews from those inquiries . Barberio has spent most of his effort since his August 2008 layoff with online searches , applying for hundreds of jobs with little result . `` I send my résumé , and then you do n't hear nothing back , '' he says . `` When you do n't hear back from anybody , whether it 's a yes or a no , or we received your résumé , you wonder where it goes . '' Watch Barberio and Gold describe their efforts to find work » . Barberio has enlisted the help of several employment agencies with the hopes they 'll be able to find a job for him in a brokerage firm . But he worries that when his unemployment benefits run out , he 'll have to take any job he can get . `` I 'm gon na put a deadline as to when I 'm going to have to seriously look for something , '' he says , `` whether it be a department store or something like that . '' Until a job comes along , Gold has started a blog , KickedForward.com . It 's based on the Kay Yow quote , `` When life kicks you , let it kick you forward . '' She discusses free and inexpensive activities she 's found to do in New York while she has some extra time . `` It 's difficult , but I 'm just trying to be as optimistic as possible that I 'll find a position soon , '' Gold says . The national unemployment rate is 9.7 percent , and more than 6 million people are filing for unemployment benefits . Despite the grim job market , both Gold and Barberio are seeing reasons to hope . Gold says she 's gotten a few more interviews recently . Barberio says he 's seen more job openings in his industry , and he thinks one of them may be the perfect fit for him . `` I 'm anxious to get back to work , '' he says . `` Almost a year in a house can drive anybody crazy . '' CNNMoney.com anchor Poppy Harlow contributed to this report .
Rachel Gold , 47 , worked in California ; Anthony Gold , 46 , worked on Wall Street . Despite their differences , both are looking for jobs after being laid off last year . They are using social networking sites , online searches , recruiters and blogs . Hundreds of applications have resulted in few leads , but both have reasons for hope .