Top Jobs 2010: How to Search Smarter

The job market isn't about to right itself, but aggressive job-searchers can improve their lot by using two potent resources: their friends and their computers. Last year, FastCompany.com told you about the growth sectors for the next decade. No changes there, unfortunately. In 2010, you'll need to innovate if you want to participate. We can help with our shovel-ready job search toolkit.

Get Ready

If you're looking for a job, there's a good chance you just lost one. But don't move on too quickly. "Know what you're entitled to if you get laid-off," says Alison Doyle, About.com's guide to job searching. "Review your contract and know your rights: severance, health insurance coverage, pension vesting," and so on. That will help you clarify your financials and make contingency plans.

Once you start looking, remember a few ground rules, says Doyle: customize your resume for every job you want, and do the same with your cover letters. "Many job seekers still think it's enough to send out resumes and wait for a phone call for an interview, but it rarely happens that easily anymore."

Hone Your Resume

Resume sites like Emurse and ResumeBucket allow you to create and share an online resume that can also be PDF'd or printed out. Keep things brief and concise--you can expound in your cover letter and interview--and please, oh please, say the experts: avoid jargon.

These days, many companies are eeking by on lean staff. "Be broad on your cover letter," says Andy Speer, VP of technology solutions for Technisource, a nationwide outplacement firm. "Today, for example, our customers are looking for hardcore coders who can put on analytical hats, talk to customers, serve on committees, develop a business process--do something more creative," he says. In your resume and cover letter, layer your different experiences on whatever foundation you've created. Broaden your potential.

Do Your Homework

Read, read, read. If the last year has been any indication, the state of American industries will be changing literally by the week in 2010, so you may not be as up to date as you think. Browse industry blogs, trade journals, and niche sites to keep abreast of the latest dirt in your sector so that you can emphasize the right assets in your resume and interview.

If you don't know the sources, that's no excuse. Creatives have sites like Core77 and Variety; for legal professionals, there's AboveTheLaw and the ABA Journal.

If you think you know your industry beat already, search more creatively; there may be sources you overlooked in the past. If you're a logistics professional, for example, you may have spent some time reading BreakBulk and American Shipper. But you may not have perused Fairplay.co.uk, another trade site across the pond.

Lastly, look for mailing lists specific to what you want; they often get the freshest job listings and host real-life meetups. Ed2010, for example, dishes to people in publishing, while Headsets & Highballs caters to workers in the film and television industries.

Search Smarter

It's not enough to slap a resume on Monster.com and saunter off to watch American Idol. On today's Web, there are dozens of avenues to spot jobs and get noticed, and you should be paying attention--outplacement firms and HR departments certainly are.

General job search sites have evolved. There's nothing wrong with CareerBuilder and Monster, but these days, LinkUp, Indeed, and SimplyHired lead the pack. But don't stop there; look for niche listing sites that fit. TheLadders.com, for example, specializes in managerial positions that pay over 100K.