If it’s been a long time since you looked for a job, you must be wondering how to get started? But, if you’ve just lost your job and qualify for unemployment, make sure you sign up for your unemployment benefits to get some money flowing into your bank account.

And while we’re on the subject of important first steps, we hope you haven’t burned any bridges as you’ve crossed over into unemployment. We will assume you completed the necessary paperwork for COBRA and any job-related agreements made with your former employer.

The next part of getting ready is your reinvention. The reinvention process is painful for some and impossible for others. Impossible meaning that it can seem to take forever before you come up with a “New You”, and painful because you’re probably still holding on to what you used to have and who you used to be.

You might be wondering how to stay on the job search track while the looking is getting to you. Here at CWW, we’ve said it again and again, “Looking for a job, is a job”, and outdated search techniques will not help you. The tools you use, the way you research the job market and how you approach finding a job matters. For instance, looking in the Sunday Want Ads is passe – Don’t do it. If you must glance the newspaper, read it to stay informed of what’s happening in the economy, the job market, the financial news and any articles or stories where you can learn from people who are going through unemployment and job losses similar to yours.

Do not spend good money on postage to send out hundreds of resumes to unknown companies asking if they are hiring. Instead, target your approaches. Research what companies are interviewing or hiring and investigate their screening practices before contacting them or blindly sending them your resume.

Remember to only provide the information asked for and follow recruiters' instructions to the letter.  Big Hint:  An HR manager at a large company recently told me she never looks at resumes that don't confine to the instructions given.

If you’re just beginning to network, you will need time to plant some seeds of interest. So network your way to interviews by finding someone who knows you and can put in a good word for you for open positions.

Keep your cover letters short, focused and personable. Imagine that your resume and cover introduction is your best picture which means you wouldn’t show anyone a picture of yourself that you don’t like.

Your resume should be open and genuine. Don’t do weird formatting or fancy fonts. Don’t use language that doesn’t sound like you. Don’t gloss over periods of unemployment or stretch employment time-frames. Unless, they ask, recruiters are not interested in seeing what you did 20 years ago. Have a professional resume-writer edit your lackluster old resume to reduce some of the rhetoric and give it polish. He or she will eliminate dangling and wordy descriptions and worn-out cliches.

Focus on aligning your knowledge and experience with the kind of qualities described in the position description - e.g., a good candidate will have excellent soft skills, computer know-how, communication skills, excellent technical or managerial experience and a professional ability to "meet and greet"  in a variety of settings.

One of CWW’s favorite tips, “Do you look as good in person as you do on paper”, is so fitting here. Your resume gets in the door before you do and when you are called for an in-person interview, it is very important to make sure the person in the resume is the same person that shows up for the interview.

If you’re in the 25 to 35 age group, you are already techno-savvy and you’re probably use a PDA/Phone combo and you are signed up with Linked-In, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

If you’re in the over 40 to 50 age group, you might be using outdated technology. But if you have a home computer, at least you’re in the game and you may want to re-think how you’re going to stay in tune with younger hiring executives and recruiters.

We’ve listed six Wise-Ways Tips to help you strategize your creative energy with lots of enthusiasm and energy on doing your best in interviews and we've listed them here, but go to the article, "Give Stretch to your Career to see the expanded list we’ve personalized for you.

1. Schedule, schedule, schedule!!
2. Get personal FedEx and UPS accounts.
3. Save receipts.
4. Manage the unexpected bumps.
5. Be consistent in communications
6. Pace yourself.

Good Luck in your search...Wishing you CWW Career-Wise-Ways...!
SJ

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