Joblessness and being picky

My mom, bless her heart, has been giving me companies to apply to. Unfortunately, she has no idea what the qualifications are. With a large pool of unemployed, businesses are benefiting way more than job applicants. I do not have the leverage she thinks I should have. Job descriptions and job qualifications are now set in stone. For example, living in Chicago, I don't need a car. Unfortunately, if the job requires or suggests that I have reliable transportation, I better have a car. I don't understand how I would need a car for a job that would not even cover the expenses for me to have a car, pay rent, and other living expenses. Chicago is not a car friendly city. I have to pay for parking. I have to rent a parking spot. In a saturated job market, having a car is something that would set me apart. But, I can't afford a car, or use the Zipcar or other like services. I just can't afford to. I have no money to afford something like that. All I can do is keep applying to jobs and hopefully get a call back. Once they find that I do not have a car, things get kind of sticky. I do not know why; most of the places I have applied for have been within walking distance from my apartment. I just need to stop and think about what is important right now. I have some time to play. I don't have that much money to play with, but hopefully, I can make it last.