...without overdoing it, it doesn't hurt to be a little assertive if looking at TBA. One year my position got downsized, and things were looking slim. Still looking at TBA, and I was in the Job Bank area, and I overheard another director venting because the person he wanted to interview for an assistant position hadn't shown up, and was now 30 minutes late. He was about to leave, and I stepped up and said, "Excuse me, sir. I couldn't help but overhear that you're looking for an assistant. If the other person isn't here, I would be more than happy to talk to you about the position", and then I handed him my resume.

45 minutes later, I was looking for a new apartment because I had a job; learned a lot in those 5 years there.