TexasCHLforum.com

Glock23, I feel your pain, I am in a similar situation with a similar background. Was laid off at the end of last year and have been searching ever since. You are starting off on the right path which is networking. I am going to give you some advice that I (regretfully) paid a couple thousand $ to learn: People no longer are hired off of want ads, they are hired through networks. The typical position posted on the internet receives around 2,000 applicants within the first 48 hours. Unless your resume is near perfect and somehow magically stands apart from the crowd the chances of it even being viewed by HR (much less the hiring manager) are very small, regardless of how qualified you are for the position. You need to find a way to get in touch with decision makers at companies you target so they can pull your resume to the top of the list. I'm not going to lie, it is tedious and sometimes very "stalker" like, but it is the reality of the job market today. While the economy is improving, there are still many folks who are unemployed and even more who are "underemployed" who you are in direct competition with for every position.

LinkedIn is an excellent tool for connecting with folks and for facilitating some of the data mining (stalking) I was mentioning earlier. Make sure to take advantage of joining industry groups there for areas that interest you and participate actively and intelligently in them, this is how you will gain credibility and grow your network.On top of LinkedIn, make sure to take advantage of job fairs in your area. Again, they may seem cliche, but even that fleeting opportunity to meet with a real human may help put your face to a name in a pile of faceless resumes back at the office. One other thing to keep in mind is that you really want to get a good pair of eyes on what your "web presence" looks like. While we all have screen names on sites like this, you most likely are listed by your given name on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Trust me, recruiters are going to look at this info because it is a fast and free way to see what you are about. I don't know you, so you may very well be fine in that department, but sometimes it is not what you post but what your friends post (and is visibile to others) that can hurt you.

I sincerely hope this info helps you out. Good luck!