Therefore, it's urgent to involve your friends in your job-search, not just notify them of your plight ("I'm out of work. Let me know if you hear of anything.").
Job campaigns often stall because job-hunters leave their personal networks too quickly to go off into the world of "strangers." Strangers will seldom be as responsive to you as people whom you've met before, even briefly. Surprisingly, your attendance at a trade show can qualify you as a "friend" in someone's eyes.