Seeking Job Opportunities in area

I have been nursing now for a little over a year. I moved here in 2011, and I was unable to get a job in a hospital as a new graduate. I never even got offered an interview. I applied several times at Wake Med and Rex. I was offered a job with Kindred Transitional Care and Rehab of Raleigh and that is where I have been working since. I enjoy my job and the staff I work with his great, but I am wanting to try to get in a hospital still to get more experience. I have experience now with IV, TPN, insertion of catheters, medication administration, pleurx caths, and the such. Should I still be trying to apply for new graduate position or should I just go ahead and start applying for the other positions available? Also, I notice that if you know people working at say Rex or even Wake Med, you are more likely to get noticed. Has anyone found this to be true? Any suggestions? Thank you!