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As a member of a community of resume writers, career coaches, and other career experts called the Career Collective, I am posting this entry on the topic of networking, along with links to other members’ responses at the end of this entry. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

Think everyone who successfully networks must be a gregarious extrovert? The vast majority (70 percent) of job-seekers surveyed for my book, A Foot in the Door, described themselves not as extremely outgoing but somewhere in between gregarious and shy. Most people possess some degree of shyness and unease with the idea of networking — and some are extremely uncomfortable with the idea. But there is hope for the very shy and intimidated.

Just recognizing that few people are unreserved extroverts is half the battle, as Deborah Kubena learned. “I can sometimes be quite shy when it comes to approaching people I don’t know,” notes Kubena, a career counselor. “When I find I am hesitating to meet people, though, I remember that others are probably just as uncomfortable, and that [knowledge] gives me the courage to introduce myself first. Looking back, I can’t remember a time when I’ve regretted making the first move.” There were similarly no regrets for the client of Barbara Safani, president of Career Solvers, New York, NY: “I convinced a client who was uncomfortable with the idea of networking to attend a company alumni event,” Safani says. “At the event she reconnected with a former colleague who put her back in touch with a former boss who happened to be looking for someone to fill an open position and hired her two weeks later.” In addition to realizing you’re far from the only one who is shy, here are some tips for the introverted networker:

• Start your networking efforts in settings where you know other participants, such as professional organizations.
• When trying to make one-on-one connections, such as for informational interviewing purposes, start with those you’ve been referred to by family members and close friends and work your way up to people with whom you have a common bond, such as fellow alumni of your college or high school.
• While you should avoid using as a crutch online methods of networking that keep you out of the social fray, the shy person can learn to get the most out of online discussion groups, web-based networking, and discussion groups.
• The pen is mightier than the phone, at least for the shy person. Writing to people you’ve been referred to is a superb way to introduce yourself and break the ice. Writing (or emailing) before phoning eases you into making network connections one-on-one. Writing gives you an opening for when you do call: “I’m calling to follow up on the letter I wrote you last week.”
• When someone you know has referred you to someone you don’t know, you can often ask your acquaintance to pave the way for you by calling and telling the stranger to expect to hear from you. That way, your phone call is made a little easier because you can say, “Hi, this is Sally Johnson. I believe Jeff Barnes told you I’d be calling.”
• You will eventually have to pick up the phone and call people you don’t know. You can write or email first, but sooner or later, you’ll have to call. What is the best advice on how to go about it if you’re shy? Just do it. Skip Haley, a self-proclaimed introvert interviewed on the CareerLab website by William Frank, has this to say about picking up the phone: “I absolutely hate it. But isn’t it interesting — every time I do it, something good comes of it.”
• Haley also suggests reminding yourself what will happen if you don’t overcome your shyness and get out to events where networking takes place. “If you don’t, you’re not going to meet people. And if you don’t meet people, you’re not going to get a job.”
• The buddy system is another effective defense against shyness at networking events. Pair up with a friend and make the rounds together. In an article on the buddy system, Clay Barrett told the story of Joan and Cathy, who worked in different industries and in different job roles but were both were laid off at about the same time. They met at a local networking group and hit it off immediately. Joan was shy but felt much more comfortable at the events with Cathy along. Meanwhile, Joan held Cathy accountable for following through on her networking efforts, previously her weak spot. Read the full article.
• Plan out what you will say when you make phone contacts. You may even want to have a script in front of you. Just don’t ever sound as though you’re reading from a script. A bare-bones outline with key words will keep you from forgetting what you want to say while ensuring that you sound natural. Particularly when networking with people you know, begin with small talk about what’s new with your contact before launching into your script.
• When you first attend a meeting of a professional organization, learn as much as you can about the group. Read the organization’s publications. When attending events where networking is likely to take place, arrive a little early and introduce yourself to the organizer or host. You may even want to call ahead of time and explain that this is your first time and you’re trying to get the lay of the land. That way, you have someone who can introduce you to others at the event. If you stand near the door, advises Leslie Smith of the National Association of Female Executives, people may assume you are one of the organizers and introduce themselves to you. Another trick, says speaker and author Mariette Durack Edwards, is to ask someone at the check-in desk to suggest a member who can introduce you to others.
• Even if you’re feeling uneasy, try to smile and project enthusiasm and confidence. Networking for the shy and introverted is something of a performance. Sometimes you have to be a good actor. Even shy individuals are capable of acting like confident people. You simply have to step into your self-assured persona. You can slip back into the shy identity you’re more comfortable with after you’ve accomplished what you need to. Does this basically amount to faking it — pretending to be someone you’re not? Probably not. You’re just using the tools within you to get a job done. They may not be tools you enjoy using every day, but they are tools you can employ when you need them.
• One good strategy is to redirect your shyness toward helping others have a productive time, says the National Association for Female Executives. If you pretend it’s your party and your responsibility to ensure everyone’s enjoyment, you can relegate your shyness to the back burner.
• Be aware of your surroundings and adapt your approach to the setting. If you’re at an event where networking is the main focus, you can adopt your go-getter persona. But if it’s a social event, hang back a bit and wait for appropriate openings before you make networking contacts. Look for people who are by themselves. They are likely to be just as shy as you and would love to be approached. Making eye contact with people throughout the room and smiling will encourage them to gravitate to you. Turn the tables on your shy self by making it your mission to make others feel at home and relaxed.
• Be sure you’re up on current events when you attend an affair where networking may take place. Topical issues — including sports — are always great icebreakers (as long as they’re not too controversial). It also doesn’t hurt to have read some of the latest books and seen current movies (or at least read the reviews). Bone up on current issues in your field as well by reading trade and professional journals.
• Prepare some leading questions that will break the ice and get people to talk. Be curious and interested. Ask people lots of questions about themselves and their jobs. They’ll love answering you, and you’ll have less talking to do. But you’ll still make a good connection because you gave someone a chance to talk about herself.
• Many of us are shy about networking because we fear rejection. Ask yourself: What’s the worst thing that could happen? Someone you meet could be standoffish; someone you ask for advice may hesitate to give it. Whatever you do, don’t take it personally. Just tell yourself it’s no big deal and move on.
• If your biggest fear is not that others will react badly but that you will say or do something stupid, lighten up. Everyone, even the most polished professionals, make a silly and embarrassing mistake now and then. Learn to laugh off your gaffes.
• Set goals for yourself. Whether it’s making five phone calls a day, exchanging three business cards at an event, or adding one new person a day to your network, you will be more likely to rise above your shyness if you set and meet goals. Take a break in between each step toward your goal, and reward yourself with a little treat when you meet each goal — eating a favorite food, soaking in a hot bath, renting a good movie — whatever feels like a reward to you. And don’t give up when you don’t meet your goals.
• Celebrate your successes. It’s almost a sure bet that you’ll have more successes than you expect and more successes than failures. Bask in your triumphs and let the momentum encourage you to be a little less shy the next time.

The July 2010 Career Collective Links:

• 5 Little Secrets About Networking, @Careersherpa
• Networking: Easy as 1, 2 , 3, @WorkWithIllness
• How to Take the Intimidation Out of Networking, @heathermundell
• A tale of two networkers, @DawnBugni
• Introvert or Extrovert: Tips for the Job Search No Matter Which ‘Vert’ You Are, @erinkennedycprw
• Networking for Job Candidates Who Hate Networking, @heatherhuhman
• Networking? Ugh! @resumeservice
• Network, Network, Network, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes
• 3 ways to make networking fun for introverts and extroverts, @Keppie_Careers
• Grow Your Career Networking Seeds Organically, @ValueIntoWords
• Networking: It’s a Way of Life, @WalterAkana
• Social Media Networking & Your Career, @GayleHoward
• Networking for the Networking-Phobic, @JobHuntOrg

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During the past couple months, the folks at Brazen Careerist have been compiling an eBook designed to help young job-seekers overcome the hurdles of finding mentors. The chapters in this book come from some of the top human-resource bloggers on the web — big thinkers and do-ers and people whom the folks at Brazen look to for trends in hiring.

Some topics these leaders cover include …

Marketing Yourself Based on the Value You Will Bring

Your value proposition has to be out there, consistent and recognizable to all that see or hear about it. If your mom, spouse, best friend and dog can’t explain what you can do in 20 seconds, go back to the drawing board to figure out how to better communicate your employment value. ~ Lance Haun, Rehaul.com

How to Build the Relationships that Matter

You don’t have to attend stuffy association meetings to network. Some of the best conversations I’ve had were with people at social events or just hanging out with other professionals. When people are relaxed, they’re willing to share. You don’t become another face in the crowd. Relationships start to form. ~ Sharlyn Lauby, HR Bartender

Why a Job is NOT What Ultimately Will Make You Happy

Unfortunately, the trick to getting a job is actually surviving the job search and realizing that it’s just a job. If your life lacks meaning, a cubicle and a tacky ‘business casual’ wardrobe from the local mall won’t add depth and value to your
life. ~ Laurie Ruettimann, Punk Rock HR

Click here to download your free copy of What I Know About Getting a Job.

Get a FREE resume evaluation from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service. Or order a resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document.

As a member of a community of resume writers, career coaches, and other career experts called the Career Collective, I am posting this entry about a particular aspect of interview preparation, along with links to other members’ responses at the end of this entry. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

The content of what you say in response to questions (and the content of questions you ask) is obviously exceedingly important in a job interview. What is less well known is the importance of the part of the interview that isn’t spoken — the way you present yourself and behave nonverbally.

If you think nonverbal behavior can’t sink an interview, here’s a story that might change your mind. In a past job, my boss asked me to screen applicants to fill a vacancy in our department and narrow the pool down to three finalists. I did so, and my boss then interviewed the trio. When I asked him his impressions of the candidates, he said he had already eliminated one of them because the candidate never made eye contact during the entire interview.

Let’s look at each nonverbal factor individually:

Interview attire and grooming: Dressing for an interview is a huge subject covered in greater depth in resources like our article When Job-Hunting: Dress for Success, but a few simple guidelines can help you make sure you outfit yourself appropriately for an interview. See them in this entry.

Items to bring to the interview. Be sure to bring several copies of your resume. The interviewer may have misplaced his or her copy, and you may also interview with multiple people who don’t all have copies of your resume. Consider bringing a career portfolio that will enable you to visually present examples of skills and accomplishments. You might also bring a briefcase or attache case, but if you bring a portfolio, you may want to skip this extra baggage. That’s especially true for women, who will likely be carrying a purse as well.

Facial expressions: The default job-interview facial expression is your smile. Sure, there will be times in the interview when a smile is not appropriate, but smiling as much as possible in the meeting is key to showing your enthusiasm. One of interviewers’ top complaints about interviewees is that they fail to show sufficient enthusiasm; a smile is the best way to show how much you want the job. A warm smile is especially important when you first meet your interviewer.

Handshake. Your handshake should be firm, but not bone-crushing. Avoid the “limp fish” handshake. Be sure your palms are dry; use a handkerchief on them right before the interview, or try Moisture Absorb, a product recommend in Oprah’s O Magazine.

Posture. Once the interviewer invites you to take a seat, sit up straight and try the psychological trick of sitting slightly toward the edge of the chair to appear eager. My partner, Dr. Randall Hansen, once received an interview critique by a college recruiter during an on-campus job interview that he probably would not be considered for the job because he sat back in the chair in a too-relaxed manner.

Eye contact. As we’ve already seen, eye contact is extremely important. Some experts advise looking at the interviewer’s nose to avoid appearing creepy by keeping your eyes affixed on his or her eyes. In a panel interview, look at the questioner when responding to a question, but also glance at the other interviewers.

Hand gestures. It’s fine to use hand gestures in a job interview, but keep them small, contained, and close to your body. If you know you tend to get wildly carried away with hand gestures — or if nerves make your hands shake — try firmly holding a pen. When one of my students did that in her mock interview, I was amazed at how poised she looked.

Bad habits and inappropriate body language. Any number of quirky tics in an interview can derail your performance, and the worst problem is you may not even be aware you’re exhibiting those behaviors. In a panel interview, I once had an interviewee who swept his hand back and forth across the table at which he was seated for the entire interview. Another sniffed loudly and nervously throughout the session. Both were unaware of what they were doing. Some typical inappropriate behaviors are tapping, drumming, leg shaking, fidgeting, twirling in a swivel chair, and playing with hands — and many interviewers have seen far worse. Also be aware of cultural preferences about personal space. While Americans prefer a couple of feet of personal space that we don’t want others to violate, members of some other cultures see conversation partners as rude if they are not in each others’ face.

The most difficult nonverbal problem is profuse sweating because it is very difficult to avoid and deal with once in the interview. If you are prone to extreme sweating, first see if your doctor has suggestions. And be sure to take a tissue or handkerchief into the interview; you may have to subtly wipe sweat off your brow or face. My partner once saw a guy in an interview wipe sweat off his hand by running it through his hair. Ewwww.

Confident voice projection and avoiding verbal tics. Technically, these are not exactly nonverbal behaviors since they involve speech, but because they do not relate to interview content, they’re included here. The best way to demonstrate confidence — a hugely important interview factor —is to project your voice strongly. Avoid a weak, timid, or baby-soft voice. Among the verbal tics to avoid: 79f0e961ea7b57b2053aee8ab33d91ea

What’s the best way to ensure all your nonverbals make a great impression and you look right for the interview? Here are two suggestions: aed08a3fbf5473e8fc67942e6e89eee6 [Learn more in our article, Best Bet for Interview Prep: Rehearsed, Mock, and Videotaped Interviews.]

Final Thoughts
Remember that there is much more to preparing for an interview than practicing how you will respond to the questions. Consider the complete package and ensure that the nonverbal impression you present is as polished as is your content.

The May 2010 Career Collective Links

• Sit Down and Panic. The Interview is Yours @GayleHoward
• How to Stand Out in a Job Interview @heathermundell
• Avoid These Reference Mistakes @DawnBugni
• Unspoken Secrets of Job Interviewing Prep: How Your Nonverbal Presentation and Behaviors Impact the Impression You Make @KatCareerGal
• Prep for Interviews Now: Snuff out the Elephant in the Room Later! @chandlee << not working yet
• What Should Job Seekers Do Now to Prepare for an Interview @erinkennedycprw
• Take a Ride in the Elevator Before You Interview @barbarasafani
• Are You Ready for the Elephant in the Room? @WorkWithIllness
• "Tell Me About Yourself" (Oh, Yikes!), @KCCareerCoach
• The job interview as a shared narrative @WalterAkana
• Prepare your references for job search success @Keppie_Careers
• No Pain No Gain In Job Search and Interview Prep @ValueIntoWords
• Job searching? Take a cue from the Boy Scouts @LaurieBerenson
• Preparing for Career Success Starts with Interviewing the Employers @JobHuntOrg 

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• Err on the side of conservatism. Job-seekers are often advised to dress in the manner of other employees in the organization in which they are interviewing, but hiring managers have been saying recently, especially at the executive and senior levels, that it’s best to dress in the most conservative business attire (not business casual). That means a matching jacketed suit for both men and women, conservative colors (such as black and navy, though women can usually get away with a broader range of colors), polished shoes, and ties for men.
• Keep your hair neat hair and off your face. One of my pet peeves as an interviewer is seeing hairstyles that obscure my view of the candidate’s face. Especially in a panel interview, remember that interviewers may see your face in profile, so hair should not block that view. Long hair is sometimes risky for men, even when neatly pony-tailed.
• Less is more when it comes to makeup, jewelry, and especially fragrance. Tone down these enhancements. Fragrance should be at a bare minimum or omitted completely because your interviewer could be allergic to your fragrance.
• At the same time, don’t stink! Avoid bad breath and body odor (but don’t chew gum or suck on a mint in the interview).
• Watch your grooming. Be sure your fingernails are clean. Although neat facial hair (beard, mustache) is only minimally risky for men, five ‘o clock shadow is a turnoff.
• Hide any body piercings or tattoos. While these adornments are less risky than they once were, plenty of employers still disdain them, so make sure piercings and tattoos can’t be seen.
• A picture is worth a thousand words. Among Quint Careers’ favorite resources for interview attire are Syms’ The Complete Interview Outfit for Women and The Complete
• Interview Outfit for Men, which show photos of appropriate interview attire.

Get a FREE resume evaluation from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service. Or order a resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document.

As a member of a community of resume writers, career coaches, and other career experts called the Career Collective, I am posting this April Fool’s Day guest entry by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., about how to avoid being fooled by ineffective job-search strategies, along with links to other members’ responses at the end of this entry. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

Guest post by Dr. Randall S. Hansen

Are you in the market for a new job, but find yourself struggling to find job leads or obtain interviews? Are you getting job interviews, but no offers?

The vast majority of job-seekers we talk with who are having a hard time finding a new job typically are making one or more of what the QuintCareers team refers to as the 10 deadly blunders of job-hunting.

If you’ve been looking for a job for months with little or no success — or are about to start a new job search — review the most common ways job-seekers bomb a job-search, and then make certain your job-search avoids them.

1. Not having a job-search strategy. Any good job-search starts with a plan, a vision, and a strategy. Issues to address include the specific types of jobs you want to seek, prospective employers that match your values, and tactics for developing job leads. The more finely honed and developed your strategy, the more success you’ll have in uncovering perfect career opportunities. For more information, read this article: For Job-Hunting Success, Develop a Comprehensive Job-Search Plan.

2. Too little time spent on job-hunting. If you’re in no hurry to find a new job, passive job-searching may work fine for you. But if you are seriously looking for a new job, then you must commit large allotments of time daily (as much as you can spare, depending on whether you are working or unemployed) to the search — time that is well-spent uncovering job leads, interacting with your network, preparing or going on interviews, and following-up with prospective employers. Read this interesting account of one job-seeker’s time investment to searching for a new job.

3. Not maximizing all aspects of networking. Most job-seekers have now heard the statistics that show that the vast majority of new hires come from a networking situation, not from job boards or other job-search techniques. Thus, part of each day should be spent making new network contacts and talking with current network contacts. Take advantage of traditional face-to-face networking techniques, as well as online social networking sites. Consider informational interviews as a tool to build network contacts if you are seeking a job in a new field or location. Find more information and resources related to career networking and informational interviews in our The Art of Career and Job-Search Networking.

4. Spending too much time with online job sites. The big job boards are not useless — not yet anyway — but the time you spend on a Monster or CareerBuilder should be minimal. Better to use that time with a niche job board (by profession, industry, or location) or on each prospective employer’s career center. Most experts suggest you should still consider posting your resume on one of the major job boards, but don’t expect significant results. If you’re looking for job leads, consider using a job-search engine such as Indeed.com. For the latest information on trends in online job-hunting, read our latest Report on the State of Internet Job-Hunting.

5. Problems with your resume. The typical problems with resumes include lack of focus, including misleading or untruthful information on resume, and/or writing weak, unquantified, or nonexistent accomplishments (or focusing on duties instead of accomplishments). While networking is the cornerstone to uncovering job leads, your resume is pivotal to obtaining interviews. Your resume, as your main marketing document to prospective employers, must have a sharp focus, be tailored to each specific employer and job, include only relevant information, provide quantifiable accomplishments, contain no errors of facts or writing, and entice the reader to want to meet you for an interview. Find all the resume help you need — resume tools, samples, articles, tutorials, and more — in our Resume and CV Resources for Job-Seekers.

6. Lack of clear positioning, branding, digital presence. If you can’t clearly and concisely discuss who you are and what you want, how do you expect an employer to figure it out? While marketing and IT may not be your core strengths, you need to learn some elements of both if you want to have greater job-search and career success. Start with the basics, such as developing your Elevator Speech and resume, but move forward with online measures, such as developing a professional profile on LinkedIn. Ideally, you’ll get to buying your domain name and developing a branded Website that includes key information about who you are — as a professional. As part of the hiring process, more and more employers are conducting online searches of candidates. Learn more — and find great tools — about elevator speeches, personal branding, digital presence, and self-marketing — in our Personal Branding & Career Self-Marketing Tools for Job-Seekers and Career Activists.

7. Not keeping current with skills, emerging technologies, or certifications. One of the biggest mistakes of mid-career and older job-seekers that we see is that they stop learning new and emerging technologies and techniques — encouraging the stereotype that old dogs can’t learn new tricks. Lifelong learning and professional development is essential in all career fields. Ideally, your current employer provides you with a professional development allotment, but if not, pay for the training, certifications, and education yourself. Besides staying current in your field, attending classes and professional meetings are also great methods of meeting new people and building your network.

8. Aiming too high or too low — feeling overqualified or underqualified for many job openings. You are wasting much of your time and energy if you are applying to jobs that are too far below you — or way too much of a stretch. Take the Goldilocks approach and seek out jobs that are just right for the next step in your career. If you have a reason for seeking a position in which you are overqualified, such as you are looking for a less stressful job, and thus applying for positions that make you appear overqualified, carefully address that issue to even be considered. Underqualified? There’s no harm in making a case for a job that is a stretch from your current work — but you’ll need solid credentials and a great sales technique to even get considered. Overqualified? Read our article, Fighting the Overqualified Label: 10 Tactics for a Successful Job-Search. Underqualified? Read our article, Underqualified? Ten Tips to Inspire Employers to Take a Leap of Faith.

9. Poor job interview preparation and/or weak interviewing skills. When we talk with employers, we hear the horror stories of job-seekers who arrive for interviews either completely unprepared or clueless about how badly they interview. Once your networking and resume get you in the door, your focus should be on researching the organization, both for its interviewing approach and to prepare you to ask and answer interview questions. We recommend job-seekers anticipate the most likely questions that will be asked and prepare strong and relevant responses. If you have had trouble with previous interviews, conduct mock interviews and other practice techniques to get you ready for the big day. Finally, remember the importance of first impressions and dress professionally, make eye contact and smile, and always greet the interviewer(s) with a firm, dry handshake. Find all the interviewing help you need — interviewing database, common questions asked, behavioral and traditional interviewing articles and tutorials, and more — in our Guide to Job Interviewing Resources.

10. Little or no follow-up. The burden is always on the job-seeker to follow-up with employers about potential job leads and after job interviews. While some employers may contact you, most are too busy with other obligations and responsibilities. While it’s harder to follow-up all your job applications, do the best you can because your persistence will lead to interviews. Similarly, after job interviews, first follow up with thank-you letters to each person who interviewed you, but also continue to follow up with the hiring manager and/or key contact to show your continued interest and enthusiasm for the position. Read our articles, Follow Up All Job Leads: Don’t Wait by the Phone (or Computer), FAQs About Thank You Letters, and Job Interview Follow-Up Do’s and Don’ts.

Final Thoughts
If you take away only three concepts from this list of 10 deadly job-seeker sins, take away the three most important aspects of a good job-search: strong use of networking, well-written and focused resume, and effective interview preparation and delivery.

Finally, one other area that many job-seekers feel inadequate is salary negotiation. It’s important to know when to anticipate a job offer and how to negotiate the salary or other aspects of the job offer. Learn more in our Salary Negotiation and Job Offer Tools and Resources.

Still stumped — or looking for more advice, resources, and tools? Go to our Career Resources Toolkit for Job-Seekers.

The April, 2010, Career Collective Links

10 Ways to Tell if Your Job Search is a Joke, @careerealism

April Fool’s Day - Who’s Fooling Who?, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes

If It’s Not You and It’s Not True, You’re Fooling Yourself, @GayleHoward

Don’t Kid Yourself! (The Person You See in the Mirror is a Good Hire), @chandlee

Avoiding the Most Common Blunder, @jobhuntorg

Are you fooling yourself? Bored at work? Is it your own fault?, @keppie_careers

Hey, Job Seeker — Don’t Be a Fool!, @resumeservice

Job Search Is No Joking Matter, @careersherpa

Is Your #Career in Recovery or Retreat? (All Joking Aside), @KCCareerCoach

9 Ways You Might Be Fooling Yourself About Your Job Search, @heatherhuhman

Don’t get tricked by these 3 job search blunders, @LaurieBerenson

Trying to hard to be nobody’s fool?, @WorkWithIllness

It’s not all about you, @DawnBugni

Mirror ‘their’ needs, not ‘your’ wants in #jobsearch, @ValueIntoWords

Stop Fooling Yourself about your Job Hunt: Things you may be doing to sabotage yourself - @erinkennedycprw

Same as it ever was - @walterakana

Don’t be fooled. Avoid these - @kat_hansen

Job Seekers: You Are Fooling Yourself If...@barbarasafani

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As a member of a community of resume writers, career coaches, and other career experts called the Career Collective, I am posting this guest entry by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D. about staying upbeat in a tough job market, along with links to other members’ responses at the end of this entry. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

Job Market Blues: A malady affecting millions of Americans during a weak job market caused by a struggling economy. Symptoms include high levels of anxiety, fear, and depression related to keeping one’s current job or finding a new job, tied to the ability to pay one’s bills and maintain a place to live and food to eat.

For many job-seekers, searching for a new job is a stressful experience. The end result, though, is usually a positive one in which the job-seeker is rewarded for his or her past accomplishments with a better job — a job that has more prestige, higher pay, and perhaps with a better organization.

But when you have to conduct a job-search in a weak job market, the stress level increases dramatically — especially if you are currently unemployed, expect to be let go from your current employer, or work in an industry or profession that has seen widespread job cuts.

To make matters worse, it’s hard not to get anxious and depressed from the daily economic and job news we receive. Just about every day we hear about another company announcing layoffs or some economist predicting more months of job losses and a sharp increase in the unemployment rate… leading many into the Job Market Blues.

So, when all this bad news abounds and adds to the stress you already feel in trying to find a new job, how do you keep your focus and stay upbeat? What’s the remedy? Granted, it can be difficult, but if you follow the five strategies in this article, you should be well on your way to overcoming the stress and anxiety and landing that next great job — or at least a job that will help you pay your bills.

1. Keep a positive focus. In a weak job market, employers that are actually hiring workers have a much greater selection of prospective candidates and will quickly eliminate any job-seekers who appear desperate or too negative.

Your goal, even if you are scrambling to pay your mortgage and put food on the table, is to appear outwardly positive. Employers seek job candidates who are confident and specific about the jobs they seek and the impact they can make in those positions.

You may need to consider temping or a survival job if you are currently unemployed while you seek a new job in your profession, and while that is not the ideal scenario, doing so will allow you to pay your bills, gain some renewed confidence, and give you an emotional boost that will help in your job interviews.

If you were downsized or fired, you face some additional challenges of convincing yourself that you are still a good job prospect. You should visit our Rebounding After a Layoff Tutorial.

One final tip. When the bad news is overwhelming or you are feeling angry and frustrated, try and find a way to step outside the bubble. Take a few hours to get away from all the bad news — do something enjoyable like going to the park or beach or down to the river to fish. Doing so will not make all the bad news disappear but will give you a mental break you need to face the next challenges.

2. Surround yourself with support. Do not suffer through a bad time alone. Seek out the emotional support of family and friends. Sometimes just talking out about our fears and the stress we are experiencing makes us feel better.

Whatever you do, don’t hide your problems from the people closest to you. There is no shame in being downsized or in struggling to find new employment. The comfort you can receive from a spouse, significant other, parent, or friend can be enough to give you the emotional boost you need to reinvigorate your job-search.

The other benefit from seeking the support of others is that the more people in your network of contacts that know you are seeking a job, the more likely you will uncover more job leads that you may never have found if people around you did not know you were seeking a new position.

One final tip. While using your existing network for support is a good start, consider taking additional steps to expanding your network. Join one or more community or professional organizations. An even better idea? Join together with other job-seekers in forming a job club, which has then dual benefits of offering support and potential job leads.

3. Don’t believe everything you hear or read. While much of the current employment news is certainly awful — and we sometimes feel badly reporting that news in the Quintessential Careers Blog — the reality is that many companies are hiring new employees every day.

Of course, it’s not just employment news that turns our stomachs, but all the other economic bad news — such as faltering banks, the weak dollar, rising inflation, and a president who wishes he had a magic wand to fix all the problems.

But there are also programs and professionals that can assist you in improving your job-hunting techniques or offering retraining opportunities. And the Congress is working on extending unemployment benefits and other economic packages to assist people struggling with bad mortgages.

One final tip. If you watch your local television news, turn it off — at least until you have a new job. Several organizations have proven that most local news programs sensationalize bad news for ratings, and the more you watch these programs, the more you feel that the world is collapsing around you — and you simply do not need that kind of atmosphere when you are struggling to keep your confidence.

4. Have long-term focus, but short-term goals. The most successful job-seekers have a long-term career strategy developed with smaller short-term goals to assist them in achieving that long-term goal.

Your most basic goal may be to simply find a new job in your field, but even in this job market, that could be more long-term. Instead of dwelling too much on getting the job, put more emphasis on the process of finding the job.

In other words, create daily job-hunting goals for yourself. Make it a goal to accomplish several things each day, such as tracking down job leads, applying for jobs, making new network contacts, following up job leads, going on job interviews.

One final tip. It’s a bit of a cliche, but the best way to really focus on finding a new job is to treat the job-search like a job in itself. Invest as much time, energy, and commitment to finding a new job as you do at your job. The more things you can do today to find a new job will result in more job opportunities — maybe not tomorrow or even next month, but the rewards will come to you.

5. Remember that everything counts. Of course, everything counts — but let’s use a marketing example to demonstrate that when you are seeking a new job you are basically marketing yourself to prospective employers.

Marketing is not just about having a great product, but also having the right packaging, distribution, price, and promotion to attract consumers. There are many stories of great products that have failed miserably because of some flaw in the other elements of marketing.

If you are struggling with your job-search, review your entire marketing package:

Your product. All products need some freshening at times, but they also need to have obvious features that are in demand. Review your accomplishments, education and training, and other elements that make you — or can make you — a strong candidate. Just as consumers love new and shiny products, so too do employers seek job candidates who have the best mix of education, training, and accomplishments — all packaged in a friendly, positive, and professional style.

Your promotion. The three most important elements in promoting yourself to employers are cover letters, resumes, and interviewing technique. If you are not getting any interviews, the problem could very well be with your resume or cover letter; seek advice from experts about the quality of your resume and cover letters (from local career one-stop centers, former bosses, your college career center, or a resume service). If you are going on interviews but not obtaining any offers, the problem may be with your interviewing style; consider asking a hiring manager who did not hire you to critique your interviewing style, or consider conducting a mock interview with someone in your network or a local career professional.

Your distribution channels. The vast majority of job-seekers who struggle in any economy to find a job typically are only utilizing a small part of their job-search distribution channels. When job-hunting, your most important channel for uncovering job lead is your network of contacts — the vast majority of new hires result from a personal recommendation of a network contact. And with the expansion of Web 2.0 tools, networking has exploded online. Besides networking, other channels for uncovering job leads includes: Web job boards (national, local, and industry/profession), company job postings, trade publications, local newspapers, cold calling, recruiters, career fairs, and career centers (local, university).

Your pricing. In any job market, it’s important to have a realistic idea of your value to prospective employers, but it is even more important in a weak market to not price yourself out of the chance to obtain the interview or receive the job offer. Use industry salary information as well as salary Website information to determine the salary you seek — especially if employers ask for that information from the beginning with a salary request. You should also have a strong understanding of the salary negotiation process so you’re ready when the time arises. Finally, you typically should not undervalue yourself when job-hunting, but in bad times, you may be forced to take a big cut in salary just to pay the bills; if so, stay determined that it is just a temporary setback until the market gets better or until you can find a better job.

One final tip. Whether you believe the power that marketing has in job-hunting, the most important thing to remember is that you should always put your best foot forward in all aspects of job-hunting. You cannot be defeatist. You cannot appear demanding. You cannot appear or act overqualified. If you are not getting any interviews or if you are obtaining interviews only to be told you are underqualified or overqualified, the problem is indeed in the marketing of yourself — and you’ll need to fix it before you’ll be successful.

Final Thoughts
In a struggling economy, the Job Market Blues affect us all. Staying upbeat in these weak economic times is tough even when you are happily employed and not seeking new employment. Job-hunting in such a job market can place a great strain on your self-confidence and outlook for the future. By following the advice in this article, you’ll not only regain some of your confidence but ideally uncover ways you can enhance and improve your job-search, leading to both short-term and long-term job goal successes — and beating the blues.

See also these Job-Hunting During a Recession Articles for Job-Seekers.

Here are responses from other member of the Career Collective:

@MartinBuckland, Job Search Made Positive

@GayleHoward, Job Search: When It All Turns Sour

@chandlee, Strategy for Getting “Unstuck” and Feeling Better: Watch Lemonade

@heathermundell, Help for the Job Search Blues

@heatherhuhman, 10 Ways to Turn You Job Search Frown Upside-Down

@KCCareerCoach, You Can Beat the Job Search Blues: 5 + 3 Tips to Get Re-Energized

@WalterAkana, Light at the End of the Tunnel

@LaurieBerenson, Ways to Keep Your Glass Half Full

@resumeservice, Don’t Sweat the Job Search

@careersherpa, Mind Over Matter: Moving Your Stalled Search Forward

@WorkWithIllness, Finding Opportunity in Quicksand

@KatCareerGal, Job-Hunting in a Weak Job Market: 5 Strategies for Staying Upbeat (and Improving Your Chances of Success)

@ErinKennedyCPRW, Dancing in the Rain–Kicking the Job Search Blues

@keppie_careers, What do do when you are discouraged with your job search

@DawnBugni, It’s the little things

@ValueIntoWords, Restoring Your Joy in Job Search

@jobhuntorg, Just SO VERY Discouraged

@barbarasafani Making Job Search Fun (Yeah, That’s Right!)

@GLHoffman, How to Overcome the Job Search Negativity

Get a FREE resume evaluation from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service. Or order a resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document.

As a member of a community of resume writers, career coaches, and other career experts called the Career Collective, I am posting this entry about job-search strategies for the new year, along with links to other members’ responses at the end of this entry. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

The beginning of the year is a great time to step back and assess yourself. Do you feel a need to change your life or career? Are you unhappy with the way things are going? Confused about what you really want to do? In addition to elaborate assessments that career counselors administer, free and inexpensive assessments are available on the Internet.

Here are the keys to successful career assessment.
Follow these simple guidelines and you should achieve success in this beginning-of-the-year self-discovery process.

• Do be aware that assessments are available to help guide you toward the right career for you. A qualified career counselor can administer, score, and interpret these assessments. A number of free career assessments also are available on the Internet, though many experts question their reliability.
• Do compare online career assessments to see which ones might meet your needs. See our detailed assessment comparison chart.
• Do keep your expectations in check when you take free online assessments. You may attain some direction and guidance from these tests, but don’t be overly reliant on them for magic answers.
• Don’t discount the possibility that these free online assessments might suggest to you some career ideas and directions you had never thought of and that are worth further exploration.
• Do take several different assessments to help you learn more about yourself and to help you determine which tests provide the most reliable results for you.
• Do print out and retain the results of the assessments you take online. Compare results, and see if you can see patterns — a “career snapshot” — beginning to emerge.
• Do trust your gut. If a free online assessment tells you something about yourself that doesn’t ring true, disregard that information.
• Don’t rely on free online assessments alone for self-discovery and career guidance. Meet with a career counselor; college students and alumni usually have free or inexpensive access to counselors. Supplement the results you’ve obtained from free online assessments with other assessments the counselor might administer. Ask the counselor to help you interpret and integrate the results of various assessments.
• Do use career assessments with a variety of other self-discovery activities, such as examining your strengths and weaknesses and the activities you most enjoy and least enjoy. And Do read our article, Online Career Assessments: Helpful Tools of Self-Discovery.
• Do have fun taking career assessments. Self-discovery is almost always an enlightening and often entertaining process.

@KCCareerCoach, Career Chaos, “The Art of Being Gracious: Much Needed in Today’s Job Search,”

@MartinBuckland, Elite Resumes, Career Trends and Transition 2010

@heathermundell, life@work, Kaizen and the Art of Your Job Search

@barbarasafani, Career Solvers, Looking Into the 2010 Careers Crystal Ball

@resumeservice, Resume Writing Blog, The Resume and Your Social Media Job Search Campaign

@keppie_careers, Keppie Careers, Help for job seekers in a rut

@heatherhuhman, HeatherHuhman.com, Job seekers: 5 tips for making the most of 20

@DawnBugni, The Write Solution, Ya, but

@ErinKennedyCPRW, Professional Resume Services, Advice to Job Seekers in 2010–learn Yoga?

@Chandlee, The Emerging Professional Blog,
Starfish, JobAngels, and Making a Difference

@ValueIntoWords, Career Trend, Is Your Job Search Strategy a Snore?

@debrawheatman, Resumes Done Write, Making the most of a new year

@walterakana, Threshold Consulting, Starting anew – tips for truly managing your career

@careersherpa, Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa, The Year of the Tiger

@WorkWithIllness, WorkingWithIllness.com, Dogs Can Do It, Can You?

@JobHuntOrg, Job-Hunt.org, Lifelong Learning for Career Security

@AndyInNaples, Career Success, What Are You Getting Better At? Make This the Year You Become the Best You Can B