• Evaluate whether you are looking for work you think you can get rather than shooting for what you’d really like to do.
• Review the major job-hunting methods and devote more time to the entire job search process.
• Open up new approaches including looking at more than one industry, looking at broader salary ranges, and returning to the library for more research.
• Evaluate whether you might be trying to step too far in one career move.
• Consider whether you are diluting your job efforts by pursuing too many different areas at the same time.
• Carefully develop your 2-minute pitch, make it very conversational, and review it weekly.
• Ask friends and professional acquaintances if they know why you haven’t been successful in your job search – you may be doing something ineffective that is apparent to others but not to you.
• Be certain that you are targeting your cover letters to the specific requirements of the position and not using generic or boilerplate letters.
• Evaluate whether you are being negative, vague, or indirect about your credentials or past employment on your resume or in conversations with potential employers.
• Investigate the market further to determine whether your stated salary requirements (always
a range) are out of line with the marketplace – too high or too low.
• Spend more time with networking contacts who can give you direct introductions to decisionmakers.
• Contact more small and medium-sized businesses where most job growth is occurring.
• Polish your interviewing skills by using a tape recorder or a camcorder.
• Join a job hunters’ support group or create your own.
• Invest in professional help – talk to a professional career consultant in order to review your resume and your job search strategies and tactics – you may not be aware that your resume is a bit vague or disorganized or that you are not conducting a comprehensive job search.