Alan De Back is an experienced executive job search counselor and trainer. He served as our expert guest during the last 2009 online talk radio show for our career community. To discover and acquire the job you covet in a tough market, he stated that you need to:

• Create a foundation for job search success
• Market your skills, capabilities, and competencies
• Use your network to tap into the hidden job market
• Keep a positive outlook, stay motivated, and keep executing your job search strategies
• Stand out during interviews

Below are the insights Alan shared during Episode 26 of the live talk radio show.

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1. To build a solid foundation, you should develop a career search plan, establish an elevator speech, create customized resumes and cover letters, and maximize your chances of receiving interviews from advertised positions.

To create an effective foundation for success, use various strategies that could include networking, social networking, and contacting employers directly. Next develop a structured schedule for your job search to create separation between your search and life.

To reduce clutter and to stay organized, set aside a specific area to work during your job hunting. Utilize a job search buddy, you can trust, who is not your spouse or significant other. This individual should give you blunt, honest feedback and hold you accountable.

Your effective elevator pitch must contain these four basic components:

• Who are you and what you do; not the title of your job function
• How you serve your customers or meet their needs
• How you help your customers solve their problems
• A recent success you had solving customers’ problems or meeting their needs

Regarding your resume and cover letter, first determine if a functional or chronological resume best suit your needs. Then for each job that you apply to, customize your resume by including the skills and competencies the employer are looking for. Your cover letter should also be customized to fit the job since it will serve as an introduction to your resume.

To increase your success for advertised positions, customize your CV and cover letter. However, you must also find an inside organizational contact who can serve as your advocate. To accomplish this, reach out to your network or almost anyone you know who could assist you.

2. You must know yourself and use your elevator pitch to market your performance history, capabilities, and expertise. You should reserve some time to prepare several versions of your one minute commercial and acquire feedback. Afterwards, practice your best pitch out loud with your network to make sure it sounds conversational.

You must also know what you have to offer potential employers in terms of transferable and technical or job-specific skills. Transferable skills are what you can take from one work setting to another such as oral and written communication skills. Technical or job-specific skills are critical to the success of your profession or the kind of work you do. You should seek feedback from previous co-workers, including superiors, regarding your skills they believe are benefits to potential employers.

Afterwards, develop specific examples or accomplishment stories of how you used these skills in the past. This exercise will help you put together your resume and excel during interviews.

3. The majority of job seekers acquire their jobs through networking contacts. All the people in your network have contacts. Thus, everyone you know should go into your network. You should participate in the refrigerator exercise which consists of placing 8.5 X 11 paper on your refrigerator and writing down the names of a few people you know every time you go to the refrigerator. After a week, take the list down and prioritize it in to A, B, and C categories. Your A contacts will more than likely help you during your job search. Your B contacts could help you but you are not sure. Your C contacts probably cannot help you but you never know.

Next, set up informational interviews to gain information and new strategies. Develop a list of questions about an organization and career field you are interested in. However do not misuse this tactic by trying to convert informational interviews into job interviews. If you use informational interviews correctly, you can acquire vital information and potential leads.

You should seek to turn rejection into referrals. For the hiring managers you interviewed with but did not receive an offer, send them a thank you note or letter. You could state, “I know you found a candidate who you felt was a better fit and I will like to thank you for considering me. I really appreciate it. If anything comes up in the future, feel free to consider me.” You could also follow up with them to acquire feedback or advice to improve your candidacy for a similar position.

If you are a college or university graduate, use your school’s career services. These career offices contain alumni databases and names of alumni who have volunteered to help other alums with career transition. You can build a great network via alumni. If you live in a different geographical region than your school, check to see if a reciprocity agreement is in place. This agreement may grant you access to limited career services offered by a local college or university.

4. A buddy, schedule, small goals, and rewards can help you keep enthusiasm, maintain a positive mental attitude, and avoid burnout. A job search buddy does not need to know anything about job search or career development. This individual must be willing to meet with you on a periodic basis, provide pep talks, and hold you accountable.

A job search schedule empowers you to get on with your life outside your search. Likewise, you prevent your career transition from becoming an overwhelming part of life. You will also not feel guilty if you are not working on your search 24/7 and this helps you avoid burnout.

Setting small incremental goals, since the end goal is to land a job, gives you a sense of accomplishment. Contacting 10 contacts or participating in 3 informational interviews a week are examples of small incremental goals. Achieving your goals and afterwards rewarding yourself help to maintain a positive attitude.

5. Conducting your research and homework and following up are tactics you can use to stand out during interviews. Knowing yourself, the skills you have to offer, the skills and competencies potential employers are looking for are vital. You can use this information to develop accomplishment stories that demonstrate you possess these relevant skills and competencies.

Performing your homework helps you prepare for basic logistical issues, such as planning enough time to arrive to the interview site, so you won’t get thrown off. It also prevents you, via adequate preparation, from taking your interviews too lightly.

You can further stand out from the competition by following up via thank you emails, letters, or notes and realizing that the interview starts when the first contact is made. Likewise, you must make sure that all interactions you have with potential employers present you in the most professional way.

Remember the wisdom of a crowd is richer than the wisdom of a few. So actively participate in the free online community at JobRadioUSA.com and encourage fellow job seekers to do the same.