Combat Rising Unemployment: Tips for Getting a New Job

It's practically impossible to find a job using the mega online job boards anymore.  The current market demands a more personal approach.

In Saving Private Ryan, Captain Miller described the rescue mission as, "finding a needle in a stack of needles." Today's job market can be a battleground of its own, complete with pitfalls and distractions that can throw you off course.

The latest economic data confirms what many have suspected for some time: unemployment is rapidly increasing. The Department of Labor reports that the third week of September produced the largest number of initial jobless claims since the end of September of 2001, when the World Trade Center attacks sent the country into an economic crisis.

Hitting the pavement, web style

As unemployment continues to rise, it's important to get reacquainted with the job search process. Things have changed in the last few years; gone are the days when Monster.com was the end-all employment resource. Today, the name of the game is networking, both in person and online. Here are some tips to get you going:

• Perfect your résumé. The résumé is still your main sales piece; make sure that it presents a convincing argument as to why you're the perfect candidate for the job. Tailor your résumé for each prospective job opening-look for key phrases in the job description and repeat those in your résumé.

• Join Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Recruiters are increasingly searching through social networking sites to find qualified applicants. For that reason, your online profiles should be as polished and professional as your résumé. Resist the urge to include crude jokes, goofy pictures, or rants against authority.

• Start blogging. If you have the time and the writing skills, start contributing content to online communities that are specific to your industry. Strategic blogging helps you establish your expertise and credibility in your given field. Here again, you may have to resist the temptation to shock and amuse your readership with controversy. Professionalism serves you better in the long run, since it's highly unlikely that you'll otherwise be discovered as the next Rush Limbaugh or Don Imus.

• Limit your online time. You could spend hours clicking around online, but it'll only get you so far. Limit your blogging and online networking to a specific time slot, preferably evenings. Reserve the majority of your day for phone calls and meetings.

• Touch base with co-workers, competitors, industry opinion leaders, friends, and family. Just pick up the phone and start calling people. Let them know that you're looking for a new opportunity, and ask them to pass the word along. You might also find a job lead or two through industry groups, industry-specific employment agencies, and alumni associations.

Finding a job won't be as deadly as finding Private Ryan, but it could be as complex. Improve your chances of success by staying focused on the task at hand and getting in front of as many decision-makers as possible. Eventually, something will turn up.