1. By all means, post your resume and cover letter on giants such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com  And by all means, do not discount smaller electronic boards.  These include aggregate sites, such as Indeed.com, that amass job listings from a number of other sites that post job listings.  In addition, don’t fail to utilize industry-specific boards.  You’ll find a comprehensive listing of these on our Resources Page.
2. Facilitate social networking with new acquaintances, old friends, and former business associates, social networking sites such as Twitter.com, FaceBook.com, and Myspace.com are also viable tools for securing employment.
3. Decide whether or not you wish your personal information to be seen by everyone visiting the job boards (including your current boss and/or Internet hackers).  Privacy settings on individual sites will enable you to block your name, address, and telephone number(s) from the world at large.  By setting up email addresses internal to the job sites on which you register, you can restrict views of your data only to prospective employers
4. When posting your resume online, do not do so from your current employer’s place of business.  Although many employers are generous in allowing you to do this if you become a casualty of a downsizing initiative, it is not a good business practice.  This is particularly true if your email address references the name of your present company.  Receiving emails from you, your future employer may assume that you are conducting your search on company time.  And once you separate from your employer, no one will be able to contact you using the old email address.  Your best strategy is to establish an email address for the sole purpose of seeking employment.  This address should be indicative of your professional demeanor (i.e., your name and perhaps your line of work, such as madelinecomptonrealtor@aol.com).
5. Personalize your career documents as best you are able, tailoring them to the specific position for which you are applying.   Customizing cover letters is a very effective and fairly expedient way to accomplish this.

There is a concept that holds that the universe contains everything we need, essential to our survival and happiness, and that the universe, in turn, is contained within each one of us.  Although a best seller entitled The Secret hinted that this concept is largely unknown, it is actually an ages-old hypothesis with its roots firmly planted in spirituality.  For a theory to have survived so long, it must contain truth.  As you seek employment, then, look within you as well as without.

If you are despondent over the loss of your job, you may wish to try on a new perspective the way you might try on a new coat.  Observe the glorious, turning colors of fall signifying the death of the season.  As the leaves wither and blow away, as the chill of winter comes on, know that it will be followed by spring, and that springs always follows winter.  See your time of employment not as a terrible long-term fate but as a temporary period in your life as well as an opportunity for growth and change.

Just as animals return to their burrows for the winter to store energy for the time that the sun will once replenish the earth, return also to your resume and career search strategies with a new focus.  Are your accomplishments salient as well as relevant to potential employers?  Is there something that might be deleted, such as older jobs that are no longer pertinent or portray you as “too mature?”  And, are you using all of the technological and human networking tools at your disposal, to best advantage?  Are you accessing the “hidden job market?”

Finally, take a good look at yourself.  You are a valuable, creative individual; your work history proves that.  You are marketable and employable.  Know this and go forth with renewed confidence and strength.  And may God bless you in this journey. 

Translating into “Buyer beware!” – the enduring Latin phrase, “Caveat emptor!” contains a warning for anyone contemplating the purchase of a product or service.   Had the Internet been in use during the Roman Empire, sages would no doubt have coined a phrase to send a similar alert to job seekers.

The Internet can be the most effective and expedient tool for securing employment.  It also provides unscrupulous parties a means of robbing job hopefuls of their funds.  Hitting dead ends in their job searches, many people turn to work-at-home jobs advertised on the Internet.  Offering salaries too good to be true and demanding fees to “Start earning now!”, the Better Business Bureau reports that only one in every 52 work-at-home proposals is legitimate.  Many schemers succeed in sucking in the desperate as they appear to be genuine.  Because they promote themselves on huge job boards, they generate the perception that they are reputable.  The owners and administrators of these boards, however, are not responsible for investigating the validity of their advertisers’ claims.  Therefore, it’s a clear case of “Caveat emptor” when it comes to work-at-home offers. 

Some “full service” job search firms also prey upon the unemployed.   Their swindle begins with a face-to-face consultation concerning the job seeker’s skills, professional experience, and career objectives.  It ends with the promise of employment — for a fee involving thousands of dollars.  Included in that fee is the preparation of a resume and cover letter, usually written by a team and usually after the client has completed a one-size-fits-all form containing many questions.   Translation: the client does most of the work himself and the no one person in the job search firm really understands the client’s job, thus requiring a number of scratching heads to write the resume and cover letter.

Subsequently, these documents are either blasted electronically to a group of potential employers, or the client is given a list to target on his own.  In truth, there is no guarantee that any of these employers is actively hiring.  And if they were, there is no guarantee that they would hire a particular candidate.  The only person who can, in all honesty, promise another person a job is the person with the authority to hire — not a job search firm.

This form of fraud is especially insidious because if the job seeker balks at the hefty fee, the representative usually asks in a disparaging manner whether or not the individual is serious about securing employment. It is psychological warfare. Caught in the crossfire between unemployment and the promise of a job, the hapless applicant bites and usually kisses his money goodbye.

The bottom line is that no employee should pay anyone to be placed in a job.  Companies seeking to fill positions pay external recruiters once an applicant has accepted a formal job offer.  Those who do not use recruiters conduct their own searches online, via job fairs, and occasionally, through newspaper advertisements.  So bear in mind: if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

The most effective and economical way to secure employment is to take an aggressively active approach to job hunting.  Many of our prior articles, which you will find on this site, contain a wealth of information concerning successful job search strategies. 

In job hunting and recruiting circles, it has long been axiomatic that the periods between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day and between Memorial Day and Labor Day represent the least probable times of the year to secure employment.  And, if one considers the circumstantial evidence, that supposition rings true.  Since achieving employment today involves multiple interviews with decision-makers at various levels of the potential employing organization, opportunities to arrange these interviews in a timely fashion are limited by vacations, holidays, days off, and hiring manager preoccupation with non-business matters.

Yet, these times of the year do present more than just a glimmer of hope to the serious job seeker, because less motivated job candidates will often refrain from pursuing employment opportunities for the very reasons enumerated above.  This means that for those who either from desperation or design actively seek employment during these periods, there will be significantly less competition than during the traditionally more abundant job hunting seasons of the year.

To maximize opportunities during the summertime, as well as at all times of the year, job hunters require a plan to penetrate all areas of the proverbial job market, including both published and unpublished opportunities, and superior marketing materials in the form of resumes, cover letters, and follow-up letters.  With a viable plan to market themselves effectively and job hunting materials of impeccable quality, serious job seekers can utilize the summer season to their advantage in gaining job market exposure and securing employment while many potential candidates sit on the sidelines.

A company’s push to get a leg up on its competition is akin to running a rather grueling race.  With most firms struggling to keep pace with their peers and simply remain in the contest, others lag far behind.  Still others focus and go the distance.  What drives one business to dash triumphantly through the finish line as its competition chalks up losses?  And what does a corporation’s tactics have to do with those of job seekers circling the slippery track of the current employment market?  More than you may think.

Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but when pushed to the wall, judicious business leaders do not act out of desperation:  they plan and perform outside of the box in order to stay afloat and turn a profit.  Their success stories (which interestingly, often begin with failures) stand as testimony as well as inspiration to the coupes job hunters can achieve when they apply the same general strategies of creativity and concentration.

Renowned chef Gordon Ramsey, for example, is the star attraction of a lesser-known reality television series, “Kitchen Nightmares” that appears to be more his “baby” than the popular “Hell’s Kitchen.”  In these nightmares, Gordon responds to pleas for help from restaurateurs whose eateries are about to go under.  Confronting escalating bills, inexperienced owners, worthless cooks, and menus that have coaxed heartfelt “Signs of the Cross” from our culinary hero, Gordon Ramsey identifies problem areas and conjures up remedies that often appear radical.  For one restaurant flirting heavily with disaster, Gordon convinced its owner to provide local businesses with free lunches whipped up using his mouth-watering recipes instead of the prior, lackluster fare.  This took some negotiating, as not only were there no immediate profits to be made, the eatery had never thought to offer a take-out menu!

Instead of delivering the lunches in disposable containers, the world-famous chef directed the kitchen staff to utilize stacking metal lunch pails.  Because the containers then had to be collected, the cooks and wait staff were thus afforded the opportunity to inquire as to how the food had been received.  The responses were not only resoundingly positive, they generated orders so substantial the “freebies” created a new and viable source of business for the once-failing restaurant!

Everyone loves a “freebie” and this is what Jonie Hicks, grandmother of “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks, banked on one Christmas season.  As a seasoned marketer whose efforts had, for years, increased exposure and revenues for the shopping malls in Birmingham, Alabama, Jonie found herself hard-pressed to create an innovative means of drumming up business.  However, this never-say-never Southern belle was determined to create a buzz for her clients.  Tackling the problem from an angle that at first glance appeared simple, Jonie coaxed every retailer in one mall to provide each customer with a small, free gift in return for shopping in those stores.  She then engineered a strategy through which customers could receive golf balls, each of which was  painted with a number corresponding to one the various emporiums.  In a flash of brilliance, Jonie hired a plane to fly over an empty field in Birmingham and airdrop 10,000 golf balls into the eager hands of customers.  The stunt had been widely promoted, and the turnout on the field that day exceeded expectations.

Nature, however, had other plans.  As they left the mother ship, unusually gusty winds swept the spheres onto the highway, prompting the horde to risk life and limb in order to stash as many balls as possible into pockets and purses.  Despite a number of “freebies” that got away, the citizenry of Birmingham were treated to an unexpected rousing good time along with no-cost goodies from the retailers.  The shops, in turn, enjoyed an improved turnout and an elevated profit margin.  Jonie, however, still hears about this escapade, the like of which Birmingham has never seen before or since!

What lesson can job seekers learn from these business tactics?  The value of innovation, and appeal of “free samples.”  Whether by creativity in presenting oneself via one’s resume and cover letter or the enticement of working “without pay” as an intern or as a demonstration of one’s capabilities, a job candidate can create a market for himself by virtue of unorthodoxy.  As in the instances detailed above, the rewards for such unconventionality may far surpass expectations.

Commanding officers and enlisted service people in every branch of our military often strategize and live by an interesting and sound concept whose adage advises, “If you want to eat an elephant, eat it one bite at a time.”  Unless stranded on the African veldt or the jungles of India with the barest of supplies, our armed forces are not advocating initiating a giant barbeque featuring a pachyderm as the main menu item.  Rather, the United States military recommends that, when confronted with an enormous task, one should break it down logically and methodically into manageable parts and then tackle each portion one step at a time.

Thrust into this plummeting economy, job seekers can derive genuine benefit as well as emotional relief from this military strategy.  The task of job-hunting, when viewed in its entirety, appears overwhelming and even insurmountable.  When it becomes patently clear that the search for a new position is itself a full time job, many applicants press the panic button.  They immobilize themselves with fear, making little progress toward their goal or worse, running on an ever-spinning hamster wheel by approaching their search via tried and no longer always true methods.  If you number among the swelling ranks of the unemployed or soon to be unemployed, consider that these counterproductive methods include leaping directly into the job market the way that a person who cannot swim may jump into the deep end of the pool.

Viewed systemically and logically, the proper steps that you will wish to take in your job search include the following:

• A genuine, unbiased evaluation of one’s background and skills
• Understanding that your career has been marked with accomplishments, even if you were a member of a large team striving toward common objectives
• A true understanding of the state of the industry in which you may have maneuvered for many years
• Creatively assessing how and where your existing overall skills and strengths can dovetail and have true value via a new job title or a different industry
• Deciding upon the direction or directions of your search; meaning, knowing where you would like to see yourself
• Resolving what you will and will not do in order to achieve placement in a new job.  Will you pull up stakes and move to another State?  Will you accept a position that you may have held prior to your latest promotion(s )? Will you perform the same or similar functions of your last job for a notably lower rate of pay if the salary is bolstered by the provision of benefits, which you may have lost when your former job went away?
• Designing and preparing the strongest resume, cover letter, and follow up letter that you can either craft yourself or contract a well-established professional resume writing service to generate
• Networking, networking, and networking through every viable source, even the ones that you may feel uncomfortable, at first, accessing.  Networking opportunities include the following -
  - Internet job boards both massive (highly generalized) and niche (industry-specific or company-specific)
  - Business networking sites such as LinkedIn
  - Independent, recruitment-oriented sites
  - Social networking sites, including Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace
  - Expanding the scope of all potential leads by joining a charitable organization, connecting with former schoolmates and faculty at alumni events and whenever possible, employment-oriented meetings, and becoming a member of pertinent industry associations.
  - Alerting virtually everyone you know that you are seeking a new position. This includes vendors to whom you give regular business, as well as your priest, deacon, minister, or rabbi, your neighbors, and the parents of your children’s friends, to name a few.

Approaching your job search by way of this manageable, step by step approach, you will not only ingest the elephant more easily, you will see better results, and more of them, faster than you would have if you view the pachyderm as “biting off more than you can chew.”

Although Taylor’s public pep talk underscored both his devotion to his music and his commitment to landing a lucrative record contract, it also presented a dichotomy.  The kind of music that swept commercial radio represented a calculated, formulaic route too narrow to allow the undeniably talented and diverse, albeit unknown, artist to set off on a path of his own making.  Taylor understood that in order to get his foot in the door, he had to reinvent or repackage himself, balancing the primal need to remain true to his musical roots with the necessity to market himself to a broader audience.  As demonstrated by his song choices and as demanded by the judges throughout the Idol process, these were the decisions that informed Taylor’s strategy.

Although the three judges rarely achieved total consensus during the competition, they all emphasized that it was vital for each contestant to tell his or her unique story, to stand out artistically on the stage, to be memorable.  Interspersing the selections of older masters such as Sam Cooke with that of a gifted and little-known 21st century songwriter Ray LaMontagne, as well as widespread favorites such as Elvis and The Beatles, Taylor built a repertoire of soulful, emotional songs.  Over the weeks, they told the story of the type of music that he had moved him from the age of nine, when the pain and beauty of soul music compelled him to “liberate” an old Otis Redding LP from a friend’s parents’ collection.

Compressing three and four-minute radio-format songs into the two-minute offerings necessitated by Idol, he rearranged (“Taylorized”) each of the songs’ endings himself.  Telling his story in this manner, Taylor Hicks appealed to the broadest possible audience while maintaining the integrity of his musicality.  His eponymous, first post-Idol CD was fabricated on the premise of what he termed Modern Whomp:  a sound that honored the past while embracing more current forms of music.  With his newest CD “The Distance” sailing under the flag of his own Modern Whomp label, Taylor evolves his rich mélange, spinning the story of where he has been and where he is headed musically.  Integrating the sounds of yesteryear’s soul-blues luminaries with more contemporary genres, Taylor Hicks continues to reinvent himself, opening the widest possible markets for his genius and laying the foundation for continued success.

In this economic environment, employees, particularly older workers, would be wise to take a page out of the Idol winner’s book.  Instead of entering the job market like a singer walking cold into an audition, define and execute a strategy that will position you in the spotlight when reinventing yourself for potential employers.  Consider honestly the skills that you have acquired and honed over the life of your career, including both discernible and not so obvious abilities.  Proficiency in creating MS PowerPoint presentations, coordination of administrative aspects of clinical trials, and management of a medical office are examples of more palpable skills.  Not as obvious but no less valuable are, for instance, the ability to negotiate positive change with management, identify more efficient means of accomplishing departmental functions, and reduce overhead without cutting quality.  Viewing your skills in this manner will enable you to broaden your view of how you might best transition into a new industry or division.  And, this perspective will facilitate the telling of your own unique story.

In narrating your tale, do not neglect to bring to light some of your achievements.  As Einstein taught us, all things are relative; in order to illuminate your successes, you must first relate them as problems.  Explain the crux of the problem, how you perceived it, and how you turned it around.  If feasible, indicate measurable results (i.e., “Improved processing time by 20% over the previous system.”).

Bullet points on a resume are more effective than paragraphs for ease of digestion, but abbreviated bullet points cannot tell a story.  If this advice has you wondering if you need to write a book, you don’t.  The key is to encapsulate your story, using a reverse-chronological, functional (skills-based), or hybrid style of resume.  For most applicants, a two-page career synopsis is not only acceptable, it also enables narration of the salient factors that we have discussed above.

It is human nature to remember stories better than facts, so use this to your advantage when crafting your own memorable resume.  And don’t forget the importance of a cover letter.  As the precursor of the resume, the cover letter lends itself to writing a strong, succinct introduction.  By weaving a compelling story, you will prompt employers to schedule interviews during which you will have the opportunity to tell, in the words of the late, great Paul Harvey, “the rest of the story.”

Although your termination may have had nothing whatsoever do with your performance and everything to do with a lackluster economy, it may nevertheless be inevitable.  Before you succumb to the fears that can leave you wondering how you are going to get up off the couch much less conduct a job search, pull your head up out of the sand.  Rumors of takeovers and downsizing usually have their basis in reality.  The signposts pointing to layoffs and company closures are usually quite visible; face them squarely in order to be prepared.  The most glaring signal of all is the advice of an employer who assures you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about.  In most cases, we have usually found the opposite to be true.  So as not to precipitate a mass exodus of employees who must run the ship until it sinks, an employer is compelled to paint a rosy picture for you.  Don’t believe it.  The bloom is off the rose, so be proactive.

Conduct an honest assessment of your skills, strengths, and weaknesses.  No one can do this for you, and if you cheat, you only cheat yourself.  Your lists should indicate our specific skills (i.e., sales presentations, establishing meaningful relationships with clients) and accomplishments (i.e. “increased sales volume by 6% over the prior year”).  If you have traveled 60% of the time as a sales representative, for instance, and are weary of the road, determine what percentage of your week, month, or year you are willing to travel for business.

Make a second list.  What if the well of your industry is running dry?  What if, for example, the widgets that your company has produced for the past forty-three years are now being manufactured more cost effectively overseas?  If you had to transition into another industry, understand and be able to speak intelligently about the transferable skills that you have acquired, which will have value in another industry.

Start your job search.  Your first steps are a well-crafted resume, cover letter, and follow-up letter. Without the resume and cover letter that must sell your skills and drive a potential employer to contact you, you have little chance of getting your foot in the door.  And without a follow-up letter, you may be perceived as uninterested in the jobs for which you have gained interviews.

Network.  If you are a member of a professional organization (i.e., the American Nurses Association) and have caught the wind of change blowing through your company, take a more active role in terms of your professional affiliation(s).  Attend meetings regularly and speak with your peers, including those in the position to hire.  Join your local Chamber of Commerce, or several Chambers of Commerce, in order to make those vital professional connections.

If you have been blessed with a job that has provided you with a customer base satisfied with your service, and if you feel safe enough with several of your customers, you may wish to “put feelers out” concerning potential positions.

The Internet.  Never underestimate the power of the job boards:  the most wide-reaching tool for your employment search.  For additional information and guidelines, for those not quite familiar with the major job boards, please see other articles on our Website.

Interview, interview, interview!  Even if you are not fully prepared to make the break from your employer before he is forced to terminate you, arrange as many interviews as you can.  By familiarizing yourself with the questions that employers will pose, and by understanding the questions that you yourself should be asking the interviewer, you will gain the knowledge and confidence that you require to sail through what you may not have experienced in a number of years.  And, you never do know when one of those “test interviews” will yield your next job!

Catholic Charities.  If your circumstances correspond with established guidelines, you may be eligible to receive funding available to ensure that you and your child(ren) access the basic necessities via this not-for-profit, family-oriented social service organization.  The agency also offers direct services as well as referrals to other resources that you may wish to investigate, not limited to individual and family counseling.

Safe in Hunterdon.  Founded to assist victims of domestic violence, Safe in Hunterdon also serves as a hub for other, interrelated services available to help women leave abusive relationships, secure temporary housing, and transition into more fulfilling lives, including vocational training.

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and other teaching hospitals provide linkage to a vast network of counseling and other social service agencies, many of them available at no charge.  If you do not reside in the vicinity of the one or more of the larger healthcare institutions, know that smaller hospitals also employ and/or contract licensed clinical social workers.

Dress for Success.  Planning to reenter the work force or currently scheduling interviews and require the proper interview attire?  Dress for Success will provide you, free of charge, with a business suit and accessories.  The attire will have been previously worn by other women, but in good, “like new,” or sometimes even brand new condition, complete with hang tags!

Grooming.  To present yourself in your best professional light during an interview, you will wish to look your best.  Cosmetology schools and/or vocational institutions will provide you with minimal cost or free-of-charge services, such as hair styling, including cuts and coloring and make-up application.  As the schools offer these benefits on specific days of the week, at specific times, you will need to contact a school or schools closest to you to make an appointment.

Looking out on the morning rain,
I used to feel so uninspired.
And when I knew I had to face another day,
Lord, it made me feel so tired.
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind,
                               But your love was the key to my peace of mind.
                                Aretha Franklin – “A Natural Woman”

Although the Queen of Soul first belted this hit over the airwaves more than three decades ago, its sentiments are as relevant now as they were then.  Today, every media vehicle teems with negatives.  Browser pages on our computers greet us each morning with news of natural disasters, violent crime, and the ever-sinking economy.  In such times, we grasp for and cling to encouragement wherever we may find it.  When truly fortunate, we are directed to something whose intrinsic worth is more far-reaching than immediate forms of respite and motivation.  Often, that “something” is a “someone:”  a role model.  Neophytes in business have dedicated mentors; sports figures have team captains and coaches.  While these are avenues and examples of traditional role models, we sometimes find our guiding lights through routes perhaps not as obvious as these.

When Taylor Hicks first entered our living rooms in January of 2006 via American Idol, he seemed to have anything but “role model” stamped all over him.  Gleaning a single winner from the 100,000 hopefuls nationwide, Idol represented the back door, the “hidden job market,” if you will, to Hicks.  As one of the oldest contestants and the only one sporting prematurely gray hair, Taylor’s powerful, emotional voice was throwback-bluesy and flavored with old school soul; his stage presence recalled the iconoclastic and admittedly spastic Joe Cocker.  Hicks, a Birmingham, Alabama son born and bred, was 180 degrees removed from the ultra-cool vocal styling and fashion sense of the younger, hipper, more marketable competition that had historically reached the summit of the Idol ladder.  Taylor knew full well that he was facing an uphill battle.

However, as Simon Cowell unleashed a resounding “Nay” to this underdog’s entry into the competition, few could have envisioned that Taylor would not only win American Idol, but become a role model for so many, including the founders and members of charitable organizations that sprang up in his honor, and those of us now facing apparently fruitless job searches.  An obscure singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist touring the Deep South for nearly ten years, Taylor conducted his own brand of networking via his job search for a seemingly elusive record contract.  Half musician/singer/songwriter and half self-promoter, Taylor marketed himself ferociously to all potential employers.  Peddling his independently released and self-bankrolled CD’s, “In Your Time” and “Under the Radar,” from the back of his van, he pitched record producers, DJ’s, and other would-be reps:  the counterparts to human resources personnel, hiring managers, and recruiters.  But all of his knocking never opened a single door.  Undeterred, Taylor re-applied himself to his job search with unwavering focus and drive.

He researched, contacted, and sweet talk-badgered booking agents, gaining occasional buy-in’s from established luminaries such as Jackson Browne and James Brown, who allowed Taylor and his band to open for them … without pay.  The never-say-die Alabamian also networked with rising stars such as Dierks Bentley, a buddy from Taylor’s frustrating Nashville days and now a country music recording star.

The inroads that Taylor carved, however, were not enough for a man driven to make his living exclusively by crafting, recording, and performing his music.  In desperation, he turned to the one place where he was almost certain to meet defeat:  a reality show whose audience seemed to crave younger, moldable talent ripe for commercial radio.  In capitalizing upon his equivalent of the hidden job market, Taylor realized his dream, hopping a train to victory paved with the tracks that he had laid with faith, focus, and application.  Garnering the lion’s share of the final 63 million public votes, Taylor Hicks nailed a million-dollar contract with Arista Records.  When this relationship later dissolved via mutual consent, and through Taylor’s desire to gain full creative control over his work, the winner continued to market himself conscientiously, expanding his network of possibilities.

Now flying under his own label, Modern Whomp, Taylor will launch his newest work, “The Distance,” on March 10, 2009, as produced by Eric Clapton/BB King/Faith Hill collaborator Simon Climie.  His additional, independently won accomplishments include a bring-down-the-house role in the Broadway-gone-national gangbusters play, “Grease,” and a Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by the renowned children’s medical research and services organization, the Shriners Hospitals for Children.  A clear winner on many fronts, Taylor does not rest on his laurels:  he continues to market himself constantly.

Attempting entry into a job market glutted with competition, we, as job candidates, can take inspiration from Taylor’s trials and triumphs.  If the job boards, print ads, and recruiters do not yield viable opportunities, we must network via less obvious routes.  We must establish connections and/or reconnect with members of industry/professional groups, school alumni associations, and various organizations, such as local Chambers of Commerce as well as charities for which we may volunteer.  (Taylor, by the way, was “giving back” to the community even as a struggling musician; primarily to Kid One Transport and Studio by the Tracks).  We must also capitalize upon opportunities inherent in the ever-growing member populations of Internet sites such as Linkedin, as well as the large social networking boards:  Facebook, MySpace, and the recently popular Twitter.  Like Taylor Hicks, with diligence, concentration, and the courage to step “outside the box,” we may yet emerge as winners.