If the employer offers real hope, it might pay to be persistent. But it's not a mark of character to be persistent when it is futile. If you keep going back to an employer who offers you no encouragement, you are wasting time that you could better spend on realistic prospects. Don't be on your best behavior with secretaries and other support staff. When you're being interviewed, everyone you meet is a potential ally or detractor.
Applicants know to put their best foot forward when they talk to hiring committee members.
A surprising number don't realize that impressing other members of the office is equally important. When you're applying for a job, assume that the hiring committee will ask everyone you talk to what they think of you. Your fate may be determined by what support staff members think of you. Call to follow up your cover letter and resume. Whereas a human relations department takes telephone inquiries in stride, busy hiring lawyers find telephone calls unwelcome interruptions.