1. Take a little time for some self-examination regarding your career direction.  Ask yourself a few questions about your ideal job match:

·   What do you want to do?

·   What type of company is the best fit for you?

·   Are you in the right industry?

·   Are you willing to relocate?

·   Where would you be willing to relocate to?

·   How far are you willing to commute?

·   How much do you need to make? 

·   How much can you live with in order to get a foot in the door of the right company?

·   Etc.

2. Narrow the field:  treat the above criteria like filters and zero in on your target list of companies that meet YOUR job specifications

3. Audit yourself on line:  Start with a Google search on your name AND ( previous employer, address, industry, home town, previous job title, etc.).  See what you find and just know that that is what recruiters will be looking at when they screen your initial resume or application.

4. Embrace the web:  ignorance is not an excuse and you better embrace it or you will be left behind.

5. Research, Research, Research: Learn your industry. And if you are hoping to change industries, double down and get to know it intimately. Who are the big players? What are the trends?

6. Update your resume and target it toward the previously listed “filters”

7. List your resume/ profile on the job boards:  Make yourself  “findable”

8. Set up job agents with the major job boards:  Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Beyond.com As well as the niche boards for your industry.

9. Be professionally social and then do searches for your target companies out on the social networks.  They all WANT social media recruiting to work and are very much focused on yielding an ROI on Social Media Recruiting.  You might find easier access to recruiters through the social networks than through applying directly. (for example, search for Citigroup on Facebook)

10. Be tenacious:  If the straightforward approach doesn’t work, study the company intensely and give them a proposal.  Convince them how good you are and why you would be a low-risk hire and an asset to the company.