To succeed in today’s global marketplace, companies must hire the best and the brightest. Having talented employees can make the difference between success and failure.

Job hunting in this new economy is competitive, dynamic, results-driven, and requires your best efforts. In the past, jobs and careers were permanent, stable, and predictable. Today all of that has changed. Jobs, careers, and the world of work are transient, unpredictable, and involve risk. If you want to be successful, you have to take smart risks, know the rules, and play by them.

To set yourself apart from the competition, follow these job-hunting tips for the new economy:

1. Know what you have to offer. What are you selling? What specific skills, experience, and knowledge do you bring with you? The question employers want answered is: “What can you do for my organization?”

2. Create solid marketing materials and package them well. Does your résumé present specific accomplishments, complete with results that demonstrate what you can do for a potential employer? If not, why not? Is it clean, neat, and easy to read?

3. Make it easy for employers to hire you. Think about a variety of options that could work for you and the employer. Keep an open mind about when, where, and how the work could be done. Cutting off the discussion too early can result in lost opportunities. Whereas maintaining an ongoing conversation can lead to innovative solutions that suit both parties.

4. Take the initiative in selling your services. Let people know what you have to offer. Give employers a reason to talk with you; they need to know the benefits that hiring you will provide them. Be prepared to offer that information, even if they don’t ask for it.

5. Think about the employer’s needs, not your agenda. Never mind your agenda (getting a job), think about their agenda (solving a problem). What problem are they trying to solve? Describe how you can help. Then follow up, follow up, follow up.

Apply these job hunting tips and you are sure to set yourself apart from the competition, shorten your job search, and find the work you love!

Copywrite. Mary Jeanne Vincent