Yeah–”ick”.

But, that’s just how you feel.  That’s not necessarily, 100% how the person on the other end of the phone is going to feel when you call them and ask them for their expertise.  I’m guessing that they’d feel kind of flattered.  Here’s you, nervous, unsure, curious and anxious, calling them—and perceiving them as confident, knowledgeable and helpful.  See where the natural opportunity for flattery comes in?

However, you still need to handle it like a pro.  Used effectively, these interviews can be the quickest way to jump-start your career.  But you need to do ‘em right.

Informational interviews are a chance for you to sit down with someone (either in-person or over the phone) and learn about their job, their industry or their career and specifically how it relates to your experiences.  You want to get information from them that will enable you to take the next step.

First—the Ask.  The one thing that does go through your perspective informational interviewee’s mind (notice how in this case YOU’RE the interviewER?  Cool huh?)  is that you’ll take up too much time.  So when you ask them for an appointment—give them a time frame.  Be realistic, but don’t expect to have their attention all night.  A “brief” interview is defined as 15 to 30 minutes.  The most you want to commit them to is 45 minutes to an hour—and you’d better spring for a meal or coffee.  The ask should go something like this:

“Hi, I’m Barbie Mayham, and I was referred to you by Tom Jones who said you would be a great resource of information for helping me get into the Marketing field.  Do you have a few minutes to chat?”

“I just graduated from college with a degree in marketing, but I’m not sure what field I’m specifically interested in, though at this point I think I’d like to eventually be the person creating the ads.  I did a little of that in college and am interested in learning more about what it would be like to create ads for an advertising campaign.  If it’s possible, I’d like to setup a time for us to talk—about 30 to 45 minutes if you can fit it in your schedule.  I’d be happy to meet at that new diner down the street and buy you breakfast or lunch for so generously taking the time to meet with me.  Do you have any time available next week?”

Work with their schedule and be as flexible as possible.  If they sound like they can’t commit to that long, then punt and ask if you can have a brief—15 to 20 minute phone conversation instead.  In some cases, that still may not fit into their schedule—and that’s OK.  It does not mean that you’re a bad person, or that nobody likes you, or that the fates are against you. Thank them for their time, and move onto another prospect.

Second, if they say yes, then your next step is to come up with a list of questions to ask.  Brainstorm with a friend to make sure you cover everything you need to know.  The last thing you want to do is leave the meeting and think of some additional questions on the way home that you REALLY need the answer to.  It’s fine to bring the questions to the interview.  You should get their permission to transcribe their answers as best you can during the meeting, or better yet, to bring a mini tape recorder.

Stick to the time frame that you agreed upon in your phone call.  If it is approaching, or is a little over the agreed-upon time, stop the interview, and let them know that if they need to go, it’s fine with you, you do not want to keep them longer than planned. In most cases unless they have a pressing appointment, they will keep talking to you.

Your questions should relate to ways that your experience and interests would fit into their career or industry.  How they got into the industry, and what they feel it takes to become successful.  You can of course ask other questions, but those are good ones to start off with or weave throughout the interview.

You may not like their answers.  This can happen.  The thing to remember is that it’s just one person’s opinion based on their experiences.  Sometimes you’ll be able to ask someone else to get a different viewpoint, in other cases you won’t.  Go with what your instincts tell you about the advice they give you.

Third, thank them profusely at the end for their help, and ask them if there’s anyway that you can help them in their business.  If you didn’t meet face-to-face, then it’s nice to send a follow-up gift of an online gift certificate to Amazon.com, or a tin of cookies to show your appreciation for their time.  As the saying goes—it will be like a cat finding a mouse in a bowlful of milk—completely unexpected, but much appreciated.

Have a great week!

How many times have you made a choice based on your impressions or hunches, or instincts, when if you laid out the cold, hard facts about your job search (or situation) for that matter, the data would tell a different story?

So here’s what I propose you do. Right now. Because you—and I—know that if you put it off and tell yourself that you’ll get to it later (or don’t even take the time to write it on your to-do list) you won’t.

1. For EVERY job you apply for, from this point forward, copy and paste the job description into a separate document so you have it at your fingertips. ALWAYS! Don’t count on it still being posted if the company calls you for a phone interview. The job descriptions are your key to understanding exactly what the company wants, and provide you the fodder you need to discuss in a job interview.
2. Once you have a collection of those positions—say 5-10, print them out, or somehow organize them on your computer so you can really read all of them and look for trends. You might even end up putting them into different physical piles based on job titles. Applying for jobs one at a time doesn’t give you a chance to see common trends nor the unique qualities some jobs are looking for over others. Looking at the big picture lets you formulate a strategy and see how your resume may or may not be matching what they want.
3. Now customize a few resume “templates” to match these jobs.

Taking this systematic, focused approach can really let you get a handle on what’s going on in your search and with the jobs you’re looking at.

Yes, it is a pain to customize your resume for every job—but when I was a hiring manger, I just wanted to look at resumes for people who matched what I was looking for. What’s happening now is that everyone is applying for any job that they’re remotely interested in—with one generic resume. Hiring managers are left scratching their head over the resume wondering what about this person’s background makes them think they’re qualified for the job?

Customizing the resume well demonstrates a deliberate, focused candidate who clearly understands the qualities of the position and how they fit into the role. You can’t fix it if you can’t see the big picture and how you need to modify your approach to fit better into it.

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who is an HR Director at a large company.   I like to keep in touch with her to get the other side of the story about how candidates are coming across in their job searches and some of the latest tactics that work for her, and those that don’t.

She was telling me about an out of work friend who, after submitting her resume, was calling the hiring manager daily to inquire about the status. “After about three days of seeing the same number come up on caller ID I’m sure that hiring manager won’t be calling her back, regardless of how qualified she is. Who wants to hire a stalker?” my friend commented. And sadly, it’s true. Just like that guy or gal who calls you incessantly after having a great date, or a salesperson you briefly talked to in a store. You might have been interested in them, or working with them at the time, but too much, is still, too much.

So what should you do? Send your resume, and if you have the contact info (and the ad does not specifically say “Do not call.”), you can place a brief, friendly follow-up call the following week to touch base and let them know you’re a real person who didn’t just hit the Submit key on Monster.com.

In order to get them to dig you out of the pile, you need to tell them one or two unique aspects about you that relate to the job that will entice them to find you. The goal being to make their lives easier–they don’t have to interview everyone when they can bring you in right now.

If you have made it to the interview stage, you have earned a little more leeway. First, you should NEVER, EVER leave an interview without asking-”What are the next steps?” or “What is your timeline for filling this position?” You can even ask “I’d love to follow-up with you, what works better for you, a call or an email, say, next week? I don’t want to turn into a stalker. ” (insert casual laugh here) There you have it-you just got their timing, showed you were interested, and saved yourself a stress-ridden week of worrying about the position.

After you’ve made that initial post-interview follow-up call, don’t revert to your former stalker ways and leave a voicemail every day, but it is OK to check in with them, either by phone or email every week and a half to two weeks. You can simply remind them of your interest in the position, or better yet, include a link to a relevant article about something happening in the industry is completely appropriate.

Actually, negotiating salary is a similar thought process you go through when you’re considering purchasing a high-ticket item.

First, I’ll break down what goes on from the employer’s side.

Every job is a decision to either create a position or replace someone who left.  If it’s a new position, or the person who left was with the company for a long time, the employer’s salary range may be out of line with the reality of the job market.

You face the same situation if you haven’t purchased a major appliance or car in a while—you don’t really know what your dollar will buy you. So you do the same thing an employer does, which is to budget an approximate amount to spend, and then see what you can buy with that amount. As a candidate, this is the best situation for you to have more negotiating power with the employer, but you have to be patient with them as they re-learn the marketplace. Being demanding or sounding frustrated with their low offer will get you NOWHERE. If they do decide to increase the salary, you want them to call you back because they like you—not because you browbeat them into it.

If the company is replacing someone who was only in the position for 3-5 years, then there’s a good chance that the employer has a feel for what type of employee they can get for that salary range, and is unlikely to deviate from that value. Similarly, if  you purchased a new appliance recently, or know someone else who did, then you have a good feel for how much you can afford in order to get what you want, and are unlikely to budge too far from that amount.

Second, here are some common ways that an employer can ask the salary question.

“What were you making in your last job?” The best way to answer this question is to NOT answer it. Yes, you read that right, don’t answer this question. Chances are it isn’t relevant—either because you were over or under valued there, or this job you’re interviewing for is totally different than what you were doing before. This is just a way for an employer to find out what your “price tag” is. If it isn’t relevant, don’t make the conversation about this number. Your answer can be, “I’m actually looking for a salary in the $X to $Y range.”  You’re answering their underlying question which is, how much do I have to pay to bring this person on board?

“What salary are you looking for?” Again, don’t feel that you have to answer this question. It’s completely appropriate to respond with “Well, I’m pretty flexible, what’s your budget range for this position?” Every employer will have a budget in mind—just like you do when you go shopping for the next major purchase. However, if they reply that they are open as well, then you do need to tell them a number. The cat and mouse game can only go through one round before it gets annoying.

So what do you do if you have to give them a number? First, just come out with it. When you look to buy a car or appliance, you just want to know how much it costs. Chances are you’re aware of the benefits of the product and what it can and can’t do, and now you just want to know how much it costs. The longer that someone stalls before giving you that number the more annoyed you will be. And annoying an employer is never a good strategy.

My recommendation is to come up with a range where the bottom is $3-5K ABOVE what your rock-bottom number is. That way if they come back to you with a number at the bottom of your range, you still have some wiggle room in your budget that you don’t have to live on Raman Noodles for the next year.

Also keep in mind that an employer is highly unlikely to walk away from a great candidate over a $3-5K difference in salary. Those people who seem to be able to do anything and conquer any task are worth their weight in gold. Chances are an employer can find a little more money in their budget for you.

Frustrated by employers trying to get more for less? Again, this is the same situation when you’re using coupons to get a reduced price or waiting until an item goes on sale. Don’t knock employers for trying to keep their expenses low. They’re trying to keep their company running, maintain a respectable profit and put some money away to hedge the next downturn in the economy—the same thing you’re doing in managing your household budget. Chances are that the person you’re negotiating salary with isn’t the keeper of the corporate purse strings either. Respect their challenge in hiring a great person, and if it doesn’t work out, do yourself a favor and end the conversation on a friendly rather than hostile and bitter note.

One of the easiest, biggest breakthroughs I have with clients was suggesting that they simply search the mother of all job boards–indeed.com–using key words instead of specific job titles.

So for example, one client’s last position was as a Business Analyst–so he naturally had all of his searches set up to pull jobs with that title. However when I looked at his resume and we talked about his position, I realized that he’s actually a compensation (salary) and commission analyst. This is what the vast majority of his experience is in. So while he isn’t the guy who ultimately decides the new compensation structure, he figures out glitches in the system and is the liaison between the sales force and finance.

As we were talking on the phone, I popped onto Indeed.com and simply did a search on keywords: salary, compensation, and commission–and came up with several different positions than what he had been finding, but at least at a cursory glance he looked very qualified to do. They each had slightly different titles, but the one thing they all had in common was that none of them included the term Business Analyst.

There are few things that are consistent in a job search, but what I’ve noticed is that companies are consistent in their inconsistencies. What one title means at one company, the same job someplace else is called something completely different. It’s not as if all the HR Directors and hiring managers get into a room all at one time and come up with consistent job titles, descriptions, resume formats and interview strategies.

Looking for a change, but you know that you love giving presentations? Want to stay in Finance, but prefer a job that includes research? Then search on those terms and also play around with the different permutations of that word to see what comes up.

Indeed.com (and its competitors simplyhired.com and linkup.com) have some incredibly powerful search tools that comb the entire job description, not just the title. They also have some nice filters along the left hand side that allow you to screen by location and salary. It might give you some new ideas of companies, industries or networking opportunities.

Keep your options-and search terms-open.

First, let’s take a step back and look at the job search process as purely a buyer and seller transaction with employers as the “buyers” and employees as the “sellers.”

And as we all remember from our economics classes, buyers call the shots. You can call yourself a seller all you want, but if you’re trying to sell a product that no one wants to buy, you’re not going to get very far. You need to fit the requirements of the position—as dictated by the buyers—and clearly market yourself as that fit.

What this means from a job seeker perspective is if you consistently see that employers are requiring experience with a particular piece of software that you’ve never worked with before—but that you fit all other requirements for the position—it would be well worth your time to look into learning that software. Think of it this way, if you were faced with a pile of resumes that you needed to sort through, based on the specifications in the job description, wouldn’t knowledge of some unique software program be a quick way to whittle down the pile?

It’s your responsibility to make yourself hire-able. If the market of employers is dictating specific experience or certifications, as evidenced by the job descriptions you’re seeing—it’s your responsibility to look into learning it. Chances are there are some easy online resources to get you started, perhaps a friend of yours used to work with it and would be able to give you a tutorial, or any other unique avenue to a resource can open up and help. But you need to at the very least, seriously investigate how to make it happen.

Another thing you can do to help your campaign is to make yourself more marketable—and the best place to start with this is to make your resume more readable.  It’s as simple as that. If you inwardly (or even outwardly) groan every time you open it, how do you think an employer feels? Again, the ball’s in your court to make it easier for them to find what you want them to find. You need to clearly demonstrate that you’re a fit for the position—don’t leave an employer guessing as to why you submitted your resume in the first place. And don’t make them work to figure it out.

There are plenty of resources of formats you can consult, from websites, resume books, and some templates you can use to make it look neater. Look online for Word tips to increase the space between paragraphs (and bullets) to add some white space. If you see a friend’s resume that you like, ask them if you can copy the formatting (Word actually has a copy formatting feature just for that purpose).

Are you providing an employer with information on contributions that you have specifically made to a position? If your resume is comprised of your job description, but your competitors for the same job not only provide a few bullet points about their job description, but the rest of their resume describes their contributions or accomplishments, who do you think an employer is going to take the time to call? By just including the job descriptions, you’re not showing the value you bring to the company. Everyone, regardless of the position, has made a contribution to a company. Figure it out and put it on the resume.

The employer is the buyer. If you want to be bought, it’s critical that you not only show that you meet their unique qualifications, but demonstrate how you have exceeded expectations in the past—and do it in a clear, easy to read format.

So every time I do presentations about how to be a more effective networker, the number one question on everyone’s mind is, how do you start a conversation with someone you don’t know?

As a veteran of many networking events, I feel everyone’s pain on this one.  I’m actually more of a “sit back and see what happens” kind of gal, and I really find it hard to talk to people I don’t know either.  But in order to grow my business, I had to learn how to get out there, and in order for you to get a job, you’re going to need to master this skill too.

The best opening line?  A compliment!  Who doesn’t love receiving a compliment, and who doesn’t instantly love the person giving the compliment?  It is a never fail conversation starter.  Here’s how it typically goes.  As a woman, I’ll usually compliment a guy on his tie (psst….I don’t always LIKE the tie, but I can say something like “I’ve never seen a tie quite like that one, there’s got to be a story behind it.” and it works just as well).  I have absolutely no idea why, but about 70% of the time they have some sort of story behind their tie.  Then because I just gave them a compliment, and listened to their tie story, are much more open to talking to me.

For a man trying to network with a woman without coming across as a cheesy pickup line?  Compliment a woman on her cellphone/Blackberry if it looks pretty high tech (“Those ‘crackberry’s’ are too addicting aren’t they?”, “Are you going to upgrade to the new iPhone?”) or a distinctive/unique piece of jewelry (ring, watch or pin), she may be wearing.  Those are pretty safe articles of clothing you can comment on without crossing any uncomfortable lines.  A simple “I’ve never seen a pin/watch/scarf/ring quite like that, where did you get it?” will do the trick.

The goal is to get the other person in a favorable state of mind to talk to you, not spend the rest of the evening sharing fashion tips.  Once you’ve broken the ice, you can move onto introducing yourself and what you do, and then finding out about them.

One other tip that always works, look for the other person at the event who isn’t talking to anyone else, but looks just as dazed/confused/lost as you probably do.  They will welcome your compliment and conversation.

However, networking just takes practice.  The more attempts you make to make friends at these events, the better you’ll get at it.  Promise.

Now get off your couch and get goin’!

Not a coat, not a purse, not a notebook/pen or a copy of their resume.

Huh?

I asked my client why the coach gave that advice, and they said that they felt that the applicant should look like they just walked down the hall for a meeting, I’m guessing implying that they already work there.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I was in the corporate world I always brought a notebook and pen to a meeting. I rarely took notes, but it made me look like I was prepared to swing into action should the opportunity arise. (I also could use it to write a HELP – THIS MEETING IS SUCKING THE LIFEBLOOD OUT OF ME! note and toss it out the open window…but that was just in my fantasies.)

So the advice to not bring anything makes no sense. I actually interviewed someone who did that, just walked into the interview with absolutely nothing, and my impression was that he didn’t really care and was completely unprepared.

And yet job seekers will hear the advice from that coach, and implement it because that person must be the “expert.”

Let me tell you this. There is no “gimmick” to getting a job. There aren’t tricks, secret knocks, hidden codes, special handshakes. Taking advice that flies in the face of common sense just because someone claiming authority told it to you isn’t doing you any favors.

I guarantee each and every one of you, at one point has been in the position to hire someone, whether it’s a contractor for your home, a mechanic, hairdresser, or person to sell you a car. You knew what you wanted them to do, and you hired the people that gave you the most confidence that they could do it. It was just that simple.

Chances are that the person you ended up hiring did something to differentiate themselves, and they were qualified for what you wanted them to do. Differentiated and qualified. Also, the way that they differentiated themselves was relevant to the position. If you were looking to hire a painter, one who came dressed as a clown “just to stand out” would seem a little odd. Another painter who came dressed neatly (rather than showing up in his speckled painting clothes), would subtly give you the impression that he would also be neat when he worked in your home. A good thing.

However, if the painter was dressed neatly (differentiated), yet didn’t have as much of or the type of experience that you were looking for, you wouldn’t hire him—because he wasn’t qualified for what you wanted him to do.

So being different just for the sake of being different won’t get you the job if you’re not qualified. Showing that you’re different from other candidates in a way that relates to the job, while also being qualified for the job, will work.

Before you adopt some truly creative approaches to your job search, always do a common sense test to evaluate someone’s advice. Hiring managers and recruiters don’t come from different planets with odd rituals that they’ve devised to trick job seekers. Every hiring manager and recruiter is a person, just like you, and they go through the same decision-making processes you do when looking to fill a position—regardless of what that position is. Put yourself in their shoes and look at how you would react to determine if someone’s advice is sound.

It was interesting to be there without a purpose (other than reconnaissance). I was able to sit back and observe behavior, traffic flow, dress code and attitude. Career fairs are grueling marathons—there’s no doubt about it. They’re rough for the job seekers, they’re rough for the recruiters, they’re rough for the people who have volunteered their time to review resumes and the volunteers who manage the traffic flow. But I have some tips based on what I observed that will help you better navigate the event.

Tip 1: DO NOT get there early. I know, this goes against everything that you’ve been taught and told by, well, just about everyone. However in this case, it doesn’t make a bit of difference if you’re looking to connect with recruiters or employers. Here’s why…

Everyone is there early, there’s lines…like monsterously, long, painful, horrible lines. Think Disney in July-kind of lines. The lines are snaking around the escalators, it’s all bad.

Employers aren’t giving out jobs to the first 100 people they talk to, they’re giving them to the qualified people, so getting there early to be one of the first through the door doesn’t get you anywhere. After you survive the line to get into the event, then you’re going to be in lines waiting to talk to the employer, and they won’t remember the conversation because they’re overwhelmed looking at the large group of people behind you waiting to talk to them.

In the case of the Women for Hire event, it went from 10 AM until 2 PM. I got there at 11:30, and walked through the employer space to get where the speakers were presenting. The employer space was packed—wall-to-wall people. After I listened to a few of the speakers, I made my first walk-through the job fair around 12:45 and it was considerably less crowded, still busy, but you stood a chance of talking to employers. I walked through again at 1:15 before I left, and it was all but deserted. A few employers were still busy, but the majority of them were sitting behind their tables not talking to anyone.

My tip when you do approach them later in the day, be considerate of the flood of humanity they’ve just endured. Offer to let them sit down when talking to you—“I know you must be exhausted from this morning, if you want to sit down, I’m completely fine with that…I want you comfortable as we discuss how perfect I am for this job.” A little humor, a little compassion, a little tongue in cheek and you’ll stand out from the crowd, in a good way, and you’ll build a relationship. Everyone is a network, a connection to other friends and relatives who may be able to help you. If you make a favorable, memorable and professional impression on them, they may refer you to someone else who is looking for your expertise.

Tip 2: Do your research in advance. This one should go without saying, but I just want to make sure it doesn’t get overlooked. Career fairs will publish the names of companies attending. Please go to those company’s websites and check them out to see what opportunities they have. If it’s a company that you haven’t heard of before, that’s an even better reason to do more thorough research. Look for ways that your experience might be interesting to them, did you work for a competitor, was one of their competitors an vendor of yours? Have you done something similar in another position? Be a little creative to find the similarities—keeping in mind this is your big chance to sell yourself to them and draw the connections.

Tip 3: Talk to everyone. I don’t care who they are, chat ‘em up! First, it’ll put you in a more relaxed, open state of mind. Second, this is how you network and build relationships. I’ve had some of the most fun conversations with people as I waited to pick up my luggage from an airport carousel. I make witty observations (sometimes they’re witty just to me, but we can’t hit all of them out of the park.) smile, catch other people’s eye. It builds comeraderie and will help take away some of the pressure.

As you’re waiting for a minute to talk to your target companies, talk to the people from companies that you didn’t think you were interested in. First, they may be looking to fill a job that wasn’t listed on the site or might even be opening in a month (and they don’t know about it yet). Second, if you build a relationship with them they could refer you to other companies that are hiring. Treat it as a friendly conversation, tell them what you do, what you’re looking for, say that you didn’t see anything on their site that was a fit, but hey, it’s always great to talk to new people. Recruiters are by nature very outgoing, personable people. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the change of pace and the potential of a different conversation than someone selling themselves for a specific job.

Tip 4: Don’t wear black/dark blue. That was the one thing that really struck me–how everyone looked like they dressed for a funeral. If your “interview suit” is black or dark blue, then do something to dress it up a bit. A unique pin, scarf, something to help you stand out from the crowd. I never liked the mentality that there’s only one way to dress for an interview. You should always look professional, pulled together, and neat, but that does not mean that you can’t wear a figure-flattering suit in a different color. Light tan, red/maroon, dark brown—all are acceptable. I’ll never forget how I landed my first job in an impeccable Liz Claiborne mustard-colored blazer with army-green dress pants and cream pumps. I was hot, I felt it and looked it—I exuded confidence from every pore, and was offered a position on the spot.

And yes, the different color suit theory is primarily for women, but men can wear a distinctive tie or discreet lapel pin. Give people something to ask you about as a conversation starter, and start conversations with others based on questions about what they’re wearing. “That is such a unique scarf/pin/ring, there must be an interesting story behind it.” The comment is flattering and opens the door for conversation without sounding like you’re trying to pick up the opposite sex.

Tip 5: Structure your time and your booklet gathering. Here’s another thing I saw that was a little awkward. Home Depot was giving out great, large orange bags that you could use to put all the booklets/pamphlets you pick up as you wander through the employers.

The bags were great, but instantly detracted from the professional demeanor jobseekers were trying to convey.

If you have a neat briefcase to stash all the paperwork you’ll pick up, bring it or borrow one from a friend. You can still pick up the Home Depot bag, but stash it in the briefcase to take home.

If you don’t have another briefcase you can use, before you grab that flyer or brochure, consider if you’re really going to read it later. You don’t need to be schleppin’ other stuff around.

Tip 6: If the event offers a free resume review, please give the person reviewing your resume an idea of the types of jobs you’re applying for. Bring a job description and highlight some of the key phrases you see in a lot of positions so they can quickly understand your industry. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times—a resume without a target job description is much harder to give constructive feedback about. Help them help you.

And please don’t give them a resume unless it already includes your accomplishments, or if you’re not sure how to include them, discuss that specifically with the person.

Do not—under any circumstances—give them your resume and say “What do you think about this?” You’ll get a variety of feedback, some based on their personal preferences and biases (Which will differ depending on the person you talk to) and some not relevant to the positions you’re applying for—combined with some advice that is actually spot on. Give them a goal and you’ll get better feedback.

Following these tips will better prepare you for your next career fair and make them a worthwhile use of your time.

1.  Figure out how to talk about yourself.  Check out 15secondpitch.com to figure out how you should talk about your experience.  The Wizard takes you through questions like Who you are, what you specialize in, what you do, and why you’re the best at what you do.  (gee..exactly what you should have on your resume and be talking about in an interview…imagine that.)  The key is to introduce yourself in a way that’s memorable so that people remember who you are and what you do; and Second of all: want to help you.  You want them to become your sales force on the streets looking for jobs for you.

Case in point: I have many clients, each one with their own unique talents and skills that I enjoy crafting into a great resume or helping them highlight in a job interview.  Since I know my clients really well, I’ve always got my radar on for ways to help them.  This morning I got a follow-up call from someone whose resume I’d done several months ago; Tom. He landed, and then was recently let go through no fault of his own.  This afternoon I went to lunch with a current client, Rick and told him about Tom’s background and what he was looking for.  Rick gave me a fabulous lead that could help Tom.  Because I thoroughly understood Tom’s background, I was willing to stick my neck out for him and advocate his abilities.

This is what you need as a jobseeker.  You need advocates.  You need to turn people you meet into a sales force who will stick up for you and go the extra mile to help you.  Think about recommendations you’ve made to other people about restaurants, dry cleaners, doctor’s, etc.  What qualities did those people or services have that caused you to speak out about them?  What made them stand out in your mind? Since you’re now looking to BE recommended, you’ve got to exhibit those qualities when meeting people to get recommended.  You need to turn them into advocates for your cause and funnel job leads and ideas back to you.  Will you get some leads that you don’t want?  Yup.  Does it matter in this economy?  Nope.  Just pass it along to someone else you know who might benefit.

2.  Look for places where you can now hone this fabulous sales-pitch of yours.  First, look for jobseeker groups that meet in your area.  There’s about 4 here in Southwestern CT, and I’d imagine that they’re popping up around the country at this point.   You can also go to Meetup.com and look for other jobseeker groups.  If there isn’t one—start one.  Contact a local career coach in your area and ask them if they’d be interested in hosting it.  As long as they’re providing good content and advice, they’ll be a huge help to the group.  While you’re on meetup.com, check out other special interest groups—like movie going groups, board games, wine aficionados.  All of those activities gives you a chance to meet new people and broaden your social network.

Another good option is to take a class, either through your school District’s Continuing Education program or a local college.  My friend Gilda Bonanno teaches great classes in CT on Presentation Skills, (beefing up your skills in this area looks awesome on a resume, BTW).  You can also take a business class that interests you at a local community college.  Want to explore your options in project management? Then sign up for a workshop on that topic.

Attend association events.  It’s not enough to be a member of the American Marketing Association and checking their job board, you need to show up at a meeting and charm them with your personality.  Looking for a job with a local company?  Check out your town’s Chamber of Commerce meetings.  You can peruse their list of members to get a feel for the types of people who attend.  Chances are that you won’t be in competition with many other (if any) jobseekers.  Make conversation with the businessperson by asking about how they’re faring in this economy, get their thoughts on what’s happening in the local market.  Then introduce yourself as someone in transition, and say that you’re looking to network with people in x industry or y company.  NEVER ask for a job.  You’re just trying to get an introduction to someone who has the potential to help you, either with advice about your skills or someone who has an idea of other avenues for your job search.  People at Chamber meetings are master networkers.  Always keep in mind that people will speak up for others whom they know and like.

Why does networking work well?  The problem now is that hiring managers and recruiters are being flooded with resumes for their open postings.  It’s much easier for them to listen to a recommendation from a friend or co-worker about someone who is a great candidate, check out your resume and discuss the position with you.  Don’t you go to restaurants and buy cars that other people recommend before you strike out on your own?  It’s the same decision-process for hiring managers.

The trick is that they don’t know you unless you make yourself known. Time spent networking is more productive than sitting on your couch worrying about your jobsearch.