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7 Tips for Finding a Job in a Tough Economy (book excerpt from Six-Figure Cold Calling) by E.R. Carpenter

Finding a job in sales and lead generation can be tough during an economic downturn. If you are serious about finding a job in sales, lead generation, or any other professional field, follow these seven aggressive tips for getting the job you want and deserve:

.1. Contact Everyone You Know and Trust First-If you need a job after graduating from school or you’ve been laid off, put your pride aside and tell your family and friends. Send them your resume, and let them know that finding a new job is urgent. Let them network on your behalf. Many companies prefer to hire candidates their current employees can vouch for. In fact, they won’t even post openings on job boards or in newspapers because of it. When I found myself out of a job as an independent contractor, I sent out my resume to over 200 companies and to all of my family, friends, and ex-coworkers in two week’s time. One of my ex-coworkers introduced me to the president of the company she worked for, and I got a job only two weeks after losing my independent contractor gig. The job was never posted online or mentioned in the newspaper.

2. Contact the Ex-There’s a reason we play nice, leave two week’s notice, and even help train our replacements at doing our jobs. Burning bridges is just plain stupid. Not only is your ex-employer a valued resource when it comes to verifying your qualifications for future employment but they may also be willing to take you back. Layoffs happen, plants close, and businesses fold. Your ex-employer understands that. If you were valuable to them before you left, you can be valuable to them again.

3. Attend Events-Go out to business and social events. Meet people you think may be able to help you. Ask them if it would make sense to visit them in their office in pursuit of your next gig. What have you got to lose? If money is tight, find free events or get someone to sponsor you. Or use some of that unemployment compensation or severance pay for networking to find your next job. Use social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Ning to network and attend online events as well.

4. Do Your Research-When you find a job posting or a want ad with partial information (i.e. a contact’s e-mail address but not her name) take the time to find out more. Google the e-mail address. Make a call to the company’s receptionist and ask how to spell the contact person’s name so that you can send her an official correspondence. Take the last part of the contact’s e-mail address, Google it, and see if you can gain access to the company’s website to learn more about them. Doing this research puts you ahead of the pack.

5. Expect Rejection-Companies can’t hire everybody. Sure you might be a strong candidate but so could an employee’s brother or someone with more experience and more education. Rejection letters hurt but they are just a part of the process of job searching. Understand that some companies post jobs they may not fill for months. Some companies will even interview you to get free consulting, knowing full well they never intended to hire anyone. So don’t get overexcited just because you killed in an interview. Instead, celebrate when an offer is made.

6. Join an Organization-Have you ever heard of The Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM)? They have over 250,000 members who are HR professionals. Why not join up and network with these insiders who know about job openings in their organizations before the public? What about other professional organizations like the American Marketing Association or the NAACP? Depending on your profession, there could be several associations worth joining in order to network with other professionals in your field.

7. Pick up the Phone-There was a job fair at a local college that I was unable to attend. However, the fair listed all the potential employers that would be there, their phone numbers, and the job openings the company had. Being the confident cold caller I am, I picked up the phone and started talking to the contacts before the job fair even began. This resulted in several phone interviews that could have helped me land a job, had it not been for the fact that I decided to take an offer beforehand. My point is, don’t be afraid to do a little cold calling to get the job you want.