When I entered the workforce in the early 2000s, I struggled to get a job. To get unemployment payments I had to attend a weekly session at a local job agency to prove I was actively trying to work.
I remember the advice from there clearly - “Just think of a place you want to work, go there with your resume, ask them what positions they have and offer to work for free. Then they’ll hire you if they like you.”
But in Australia you CAN get an old Thinkpad, so…