How to Find a Job in Today's Economy

With record unemployment and a weak economy, the job market is tough to crack. But you can do it.
Here are some tips adapted from an article by LilBlackDress, an eHow Member.

Step 1: Treat the job hunt like a job. Keep notes of where you have applied and the people with whom you talked. Organization will help you find a job in today's economy.

Step 2: If you don't ask, you won't get. Tell everyone you are looking for a job and ask if they know of openings. Tell your hairdresser, the nurse at the doctor’s office, everyone.

Step 3: Call past employers, co-workers, and friends and ask for job leads. Do not be afraid to ask if they will share your resume with people they know or give you names to contact.

Step 4: Sign up for LinkedIn.com. Though the site can be tricky to navigate, you can find many people to network with by joining groups, finding past contacts, etc. There is also a section with job listings. Since these companies pay for listings, you are more likely to find quality jobs than on free job listing sites.

Step 5: Actively look on the internet to find a job. Check out HotJobs and Monster.com. Different job search sites cater better to different types of employment. Craigslist for example, is good for musicians but not good for CEO's.

Step 6: Check the Sunday employment section of your newspapers, online and printed version. It's less expensive for companies to advertise in the online version, so you'll find more listings and details by expanding the search to the website's jobs page.

Step 7: Consider having a recruiter or headhunter assist you with your job search.

Step 8: Ask your relatives and friends for the website addresses of their alumni associations. Look at the sites to see what help is available.

Step 9: Attend job fairs. While most people attending will be older, you will stand out because of your motivation and persistence.

Step 10: Set goals. Each week apply for X number of jobs. Call X amount of people. Contact X number of businesses. With patience and persistence you can get a job in today's economy.