Develop clear-cut strategies to land job in 2010

The holiday season has begun -- that long stretch from Thanksgiving through the new year. You have not been looking for the perfect new position, just one to enable you to keep your home, pay your bills and take care of the needs of your family. But everywhere you look, there is an absence of opportunities for someone with your qualifications. Can the new year be better?

Perhaps you fear it is your job history. You may have an "impractical" or dated degree, lapses in your work experience due to time out for family, illness or additional education and training, or a series of low-paying or temporary jobs, or experience only in the nonprofit sector or a history with companies that no longer exist. You may have even gone back to school to update your resume by boning up on computer skills, bookkeeping and accounting, management practices or a host of other subjects. But you still see no connections between your background, education, job history and the advertisements you read in the paper.

Maybe the problem is not you, but your job search strategy is bogged down. Most likely you have become accustomed to thinking of the job market and your credentials in a specific and defined way. This is why it is so important to get a fresh perspective on the job market and on your credentials.

No one has the answers to all problems, of course. Each expert you consult, whether at workshops like the Center for Women or elsewhere, will offer a different perspective based on their own frame of reference. But seeking out expertise can help. The center's advisers, trusted career coaches and counselors are all experienced in helping people land the jobs by contributing an outside perspective. Find it scary to go and ask someone for a fresh perspective on what you have to offer and what the best new approach might be for you? Refocus your concern. Think of how someone can offer you the insight you need.

There is a lot of good advice out there about new strategies you can use for your search. For example, CNNMoney.com introduces you to some of its trusted career coaches who each provide his best advice for finding a job. Ford Myers, president of Career Potential, LLC, and author of "Get the Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring," recommends that you first become "crystal clear on the value you (they) offer to prospective employers." Then, "learn how to articulate this value, along with the tangible results you (they) can produce." Or you could take the advice from Barbara Safani, president of Career Solvers in New York, and "Treat your job search like a full-time job" and work at it "35-40 hours a week for optimal results." Dan King, principal of Career Planning and Management Inc., in Boston, flatly says, "It's not the most qualified that gets the job; it's the one who knows best how to market the qualifications he or she has." And Gerry Crispin, co-owner of Careerxroads, a consulting firm in New Jersey, strongly suggests you do your internal company research first. "Never EVER," he says, "apply for a job again without first getting an employee in that firm you've targeted to 'refer' you."

You could take the one best piece of advice from John O'Connor, president and CEO of Career Pro Inc.: "You must study each lead and customize each application very carefully; lots of jobs are available but apply right." Kathy Robinson, founder of TurningPoint, a Career Consulting Firm in Boston, says you need to network effectively. "Instead of saying, 'I'm so great in xyz career and you should hire me,' good networkers say, 'I have been really interested in xyz career, and have been setting up conversations with people to learn more about what's new in the field.' " Cheryl Palmer, a certified executive career coach at Call to Career in Silver Spring, Md., says always be prepared. "You should be constantly updating your skills and keeping your network viable. Too many people get too comfortable in their jobs and don't think about what may come next. These are the people who tend to be totally devastated when they are laid off."

Do any of these ideas sound good to you? Definitely, but carrying them out probably means you must change your present approach. They require you to develop a new prism. They require you to reach out. They call for hard work and a boost in your self-confidence. Start by talking to someone who has faith in your true qualities and your abilities--it may be an objective family member or friend.

I suggest that in retooling your job search strategy for 2010, you also develop a "job trailer" that will be to your job search as a "movie trailer" is to a film; a well-planned 30-second piece that draws the prospective employer in and generates their interest.

Begin crafting your "job trailer" by candidly answer-ing these questions: What makes you the unique choice for this job? What problems can you solve? What are your specific capabilities? What is it about you that can help the company meet their objectives?

The job coaches at the Center for Women are available to help you polish your "job trailer" to land the job you want. Make your job search pay off in 2010.

Dorothy Perrin Moore, Ph.D., is professor emerita, The Citadel School of Business Administration.The Job Coaches are experienced volunteers from the Center for Women's Job Counseling Program. Ask them a question by calling 763-7333 or e-mailing info@c4women.org. If you would like further assistance, make an appointment; a donation of $10 is requested for appointments.