The Company of Friends, Fast Company's readers' network, isn't a traditional networking organization, but CoF groups do help members find jobs and projects to weather the economic downturn. To that end, the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas CoF has organized a series of career workshops.

Designed by CoF member Cynthia Nevels, CEO of Nevels Corp., a technology and recruiting consultancy, the UMarketU workshops draw on sales and financial-analysis strategies to offer new ways to find work that matters. Here's Nevels' three-point plan.

Do your homework 'People need to use the information that financial analysts track and that salespeople use to find their next lead,' says Nevels. 'Follow mergers and acquisitions. Research patents and trademarks. A company that's filing a lot of patents might be hiring soon.'

Evaluate your value 'People don't know the value they bring to an organization,' Nevels says. 'See yourself as a company and your skills as assets. Position yourself as human capital when interviewing.'

Keep connected Don't conduct a job search as a onetime process. 'Build a contact-management database -- sort of the reverse of customer relationship management,' Nevels says. 'And keep in touch even after you find a job. You don't want a job; you want a career.'

Coordinates Cynthia Nevels, cnevels@nevelscorporation.com; Company of Friends, http://www.fastcompany.com/cof. For more information on career development, http://www.fastcompany.com/guides/reinvent.html