Need help for my friend for job

Thanks for those links Olivier   I've written a little about my job hunting experiences so far...

I have been on a job hunt now for over 9 months and I have specifically targeted Bahrain and Eastern Saudi Arabia as my locations of choice. My reasons for this are many and varied, I have some very good friends in Bahrain, I have been to visit on three separate occasions, the most recent being for the month of March to search for work, which didn't work out in my favor due to the timing. I have fallen in love with the country and it's people, the lifestyle and, dare I say it, the weather! I have done a quick count of the jobs that I have applied for and since November last, it's at 248. I'm not surprised that the number is that high, I apply for something everyday and most days I apply for multiple jobs. I have only applied for jobs that I think I have some chance of getting, I haven't applied for anything that is beyond my abilities nor have I tried to embellish my CV with exaggerations or lies. I believe my CV reads well and gives a good broad overview of my skills and experience. Every job that requires a cover letter gets one specifically for that job and the CV sent is aimed towards that position, though a few sites don't allow for cover letters to be added, and I think my approach is even and measured.

Unfortunately, my experience so far has been less than encouraging. Since November and of the 248 applications, I have received 4 requests for more information which have led to nothing, 24 automated rejections and one interview which was mistakenly set up to occur in India 10,000 kms from my current location and that I could not attend. I have also applied directly to companies through their respective career portals and directly through emails to their HR departments and of all of those emails and applications, I have not heard from one of them.

As a result of analysing the trends, I am now of the opinion that applying for jobs remotely is worthwhile for approximately 10% of all positions applied for, however, knowing which 10% to apply for is impossible so the law of averages has to play its part and I find that disheartening as it is, I must still apply for 100 jobs to get a response for 10 of them.

I would speculate that the main reasons that I hear little or nothing back from applications are that I am not in the region therefore adding a level of complexity that most companies wish to avoid. My skills and experience don't quite fit exactly the job requirements, whether it's by being over-qualified or under-qualified. Finally, I think the main reason is that I am educated to Diploma level and not to Degree level, something that I think hampers my every move, even though I have experience in abundance to which being degree educated has little or no relevance. In contrast to my own experience, I have met one person who has applied for just one job in Bahrain and got it.

I would be very interested in people's thoughts on this, have you had similar experiences? Have you altered your approach? Was it successful? Is there something fundamental that I am missing?