Fellow Jobseekers Unite!

[Feuer Frei!]

Snapshot:

I've recently (approx. 3 months ago) moved interstate to be with my parents and to assist in their well-being and to give care to my mother who has early stages of dementia.
I have always been employed and whilst being here in a city where i originally grew up, have had to get myself into the process of applying for jobs again. Ie. cover letters, resume updates, interviews, talking with recruitment agencies, welfare payments, networking and so on.
My profession is Restaurant management and have also got experience in retail, government departments, laboring, management courses, certificates which allow me to work in the above-mentioned industries and so forth.

The city i moved from is 2 and a half times bigger than the city i am now in, and i knew full-well that it was going to be tough to break into the labor force again, partly because i'd lived here for many years on and off and partly because the city is smaller and no major industries to speak of, a market base made of predominately 3 categories: 1) uni students 2) retirees and 3) unemployed.
I won't count the employed since that wouldn't make much sense in including them.

I have over the last 3 months applied for many positions, when i say many, i mean around 20 or so (which is a lot for this city).
This city is incredibly seasonal, ie. when the holidays are on, it's a very busy place, but when no holidays are on, it's extremely quiet.
Transient is another example of what this city is.

The positions i have applied for are well within the scope of my work history, therefore i am more than experienced to apply for these positions, being realistic in the application process, writing cover letters as requested (even when none are), ensuring the resume is tailored for the particular role i have applied for, with relevance the top priority, ensuring my referees are sound and in contact with me at all times, especially when they receive reference checks, ensuring no spelling mistakes when submitting resumes and cover letters, and all the other rules that go along with applying for a position.
So far, i have received 1 interview!
Out of more than 15 applications, 1 interview.
Now one could say that i am doing something wrong here, that either my resume is indicating irrelevant work history to the position i'm applying for, or that i have made the fatal mistake of including bad referees on my resume.
Not addressing the job criteria set out in the advert, bad spelling, not enough experience, etc etc.
None of these are the case, and i might add that that has been confirmed by employment agencies, friends who recruit in their current jobs etc.

So, we come to the point of this thread:
what can be done to increase my chances of obtaining an interview?
Do you have any tried and tested tips that you can share for other fellow job seekers?

In my defence, i will say that i am excellent in English, confident, outgoing nature, 10 years' experience in my main profession (and the bulk of the jobs i am applying for), excellent referees, credentials, proven track record, very good knowledge of the labour market and community, reliable transport, maturity, etc etc.
Now most of these are on the resume, with some of them one cannot show these on paper, since they are a interview stage process.

I'm scratching my head, wondering what the hell is going on with employers these days?
I have recruitment experience and know full well the time and effort that goes into screening applicants for a given position.
I also know fully well that not all applicants are suitable.
I also know fully well that some applicants can be over-qualified.
I am realistic, experienced in the recruitment process and know that i wouldn't hesitate to ring someone and get them in for an interview if they had 10 years' experience in the industry that i am recruiting in.
At least make a reference check, something.

So, any tips, strategies, hints, advice or otherwise that you may be able to give to me and others in a similar boat would be greatly appreciated.