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To stand out from the crowd, conduct your job search like a marketing campaign. The traditional picture of job-seeking is that you look for open positions posted somewhere and follow a formal application procedure to be considered for them. But with thousands of job-seekers applying for only those positions that are advertised, the competition can be overwhelming.

The only way to beat the odds and the competition is to actively market yourself and locate positions before they are advertised. Marketing yourself as a job-seeker means locating the people who can offer or lead you to opportunities and telling them what you are capable of, over and over. You do have to seek them out-you can't wait for them to find you. There are many ways of telling them what you can do -- in person, in writing, by phone -- but you must tell them. And you have to tell them over and over. No one will remember you if they hear from you only once.

Just as any company selling a product or service works from a strategic marketing plan with proper tactics to put the plan into action, so should you. In this case, you are the product. Finding job opportunities takes a disciplined approach using strategies that are proven to work.

There are six different approaches to conducting your job search like a marketing campaign. Here they are, listed in order of effectiveness:

1. Networking and referral-building
2. Contacting potential employers directly
3. Informational interviewing
4. Employing recruiters and agencies
5. Searching specialized job listings
6. Using help-wanted ads

Networking and referral-building will provide you with the maximum number of contacts, referrals, and leads, so this approach is almost always the most effective. Contacting prospective employers and informational interviewing are about equal in terms of their potential payoff, but contacting employers is more likely to lead directly to a job. Employing recruiters and agencies will give you more contacts looking out for you and more leads to pursue, but they are unlikely to refer you to others. Using job listings and want ads can provide you with leads, but no new contacts or referrals, so these approaches are much less effective.

An old job-hunting tool is making a big comeback. For years, graphic artists, journalists, teachers, and other creative types have used job career portfolios while job-hunting, but it is only recently that the idea has caught on for all types of job-seekers.

What is a job skills, job-search, or job career portfolio? It is a job-hunting tool that you develop that gives employers a complete picture of who you are, your experience, your education, your accomplishments, your skill sets and capabilities and what you have the potential to become -– much more than just a cover letter and resume can provide. You can use your job career portfolio in job interviews to showcase a point, to illustrate the depth of your skills and experience, or to use as a tool to get a second interview.

This article will show you how to develop your job-search portfolio, key elements to consider in developing your job-search portfolio, and the best resources to explore job-search portfolios in more depth.

Your biggest time commitment will be the initial development of your employee portfolio, but once you've developed it, keeping it current and up-to-date should be fairly easy. Your two biggest decisions in developing your employee portfolio are determining the format of the portfolio and the organization of the employee layout and job portfolio.

Most experts agree that the employee portfolio should be kept in a professional two or three-ring binder (zipper closure optional). You should include a table of contents and use some kind of system such as tabs or dividers to separate the various indexes of the employee skills portfolio.

Besides the traditional job layout portfolio, if you have access to space on a Web site, you should also consider developing an online Web-based resume or employee portfolio.

Once the development is complete, you then have to gather, write, copy, and assemble the material that goes in the personal employee portfolio. This process will not only result in a professional portfolio, but should help you be better prepared for your job search.

So, what types of things go in a employee or jobsearch portfolio? Here are the basic categories. Don't feel you need to use these exact ones for your resume or portfolio. The key to remember as you contemplate these items is that you want to give reasons for the employer to hire you, you want to showcase your education and work experience by showing examples and evidence of your work, skills, and accomplishments.

1. Career Summary and Goals: A description of what you stand for (such as work ethic, organizational interests, management philosophy, etc.) and where you see yourself in two to five years.
2. Professional Philosophy/Mission Statement: A short description of the guiding principles that drive you and give you purpose. Read more in our article, Using a Personal Mission Statement to Chart Your Career Course.
3. Traditional Resume: A summary of your education, achievements, and work experience, using a chronological or functional format. If you need help developing a resume, visit Quintessential Careers: Fundamentals of a Good Resume.
4. Scannable/Text-Based Resume: A text-only version of your resume should also be included. More information about this type of resume can be found at: Quintessential Careers: Scannable Resume Fundamentals.
5. Skills, Abilities and Marketable Qualities: A detailed examination of your skills and experience. This section should include the name of the skill area; the performance or behavior, knowledge, or personal traits that contribute to your success in that skill area; your background and specific experiences that demonstrate your application of the skill.
6. List of Accomplishments: A detailed listing that highlights the major accomplishments in your career to date. Accomplishments are one of the most important elements of any good job-search. Read more in our article, For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.
7. Samples of Your Work: A sampling of your best work, including reports, papers, studies, brochures, projects, presentations, etc. Besides print samples, you can also include CD-ROMs, videos, and other multimedia formats.
8. Research, Publications, Reports: A way to showcase multiple skills, including your written communications abilities. Include any published papers and conference proceedings.
9. Testimonials and Letters of Recommendations: A collection of any kudos you have received -– from customers, clients, colleagues, past employers, professors, etc. Some experts even suggest including copies of favorable employer evaluations and reviews.
10. Awards and Honors: A collection of any certificates of awards, honors, and scholarships.
11. Conference and Workshops: A list of conferences, seminars, and workshops you've participated in and/or attended.
12. Transcripts, Degrees, Licenses, and Certifications: A description of relevant courses, degrees, licenses, and certifications.
13. Professional Development Activities: A listing of professional associations and conferences attended -- and any other professional development activities.
14. Military records, awards, and badges: A listing of your military service, if applicable.
15. Volunteering/Community Service: A description of any community service activities, volunteer or pro bono work you have completed, especially as it relates to your career.
16. References List: A list of three to five people (including full names, titles, addresses, and phone/email) who are willing to speak about your strengths, abilities, and experience. At least one reference should be a former manager. Read more in our article: The Keys to Choosing and Using the Best Job References in Your Job Search.

And remember once you've created your job search portfolio, be sure to take it with you to all interviews and use it as a tool to getting job offers. You can never have too much personal information close at hand when the questions are asked!

How many resumes did you send out last week? How many responses did you get, positive or otherwise? Did you get an interview?

Tried of the merry go round and want to have a little more control over your working life?

Job security is a thing of the past. These days, although there are many laws in place to protect the worker, there is really no job security.

Sure there are unfair dismissal laws, anti discrimination laws and so on, but at the end of the day if your boss can’t afford to pay you or there is a change in management or a company take over, your job security is gone.

You have worked and built up skills over the years, maybe you are looking at returning to work after raising your family or after an illness. Not only do you have your formal qualifications or experience gained in the workforce but think about the other experience you have.

You have loads of HR experience from everyday life, dealing with children relatives and friends, first aid, cleaning, letter writing, ironing, driving. Make a list the things you do each day and you will find a wealth of experience that doesn’t fit on a resume.

What about your sports, hobbies and interests, look at the different experiences that come from these.

Now you may be asking yourself where all this is going, so let me give you some Alternatives to think about.

Yes there are alternatives.

Depending on your formal qualifications you could do contract work. Watch Job Auction, local papers etc for people looking for contractors. I recently saw one for bookkeepers. You could also approach businesses and leave a card or your resume. As a contractor you are on a casual rate of pay, depending on how the business is run you may have to pay your own tax will necessitate getting an ABN, most businesses prefer this way as it means less headaches for them. No tax, no super, they can use your services when they need you. Of course these things have to be taken into account by you as well. You get no holiday or sick pay either.

Then you could start your own business. Think of your hobbies and interests, your skills and experience and then look for a niche market around them. There are lots of ways, Lawn mowing service, mobile mechanic, cleaning service, bookkeeping service and I am sure you can think of many more that would fit your circumstances. Start small and build it up. You can always check with your local job network agency as to your suitability for the NEIS Scheme.

You will need a few business cards, (can be home made on you PC to start) and a bit of footwork. You will have to check any council regulations and also check if you need any licences.

Of course, if you have been retrenched and got a payout or have some money put aside you could always buy a franchise. There are many reputable companies with franchises available in a number of fields. They will guarantee a certain amount of work, some even take the calls for you and give you the leads.

They include machinery, accounting packages, promotional aids etc, depanding on what kind of business it is.

It pays to look into them very carefully though and make sure they have been around for a while, independently speak to other people who have one of these franchises in another area and get an idea how they are going and the level of support the get. Always use an accountant and a solicitor for these types of businesses as we are not talking a few hundred dollars here. Franchises start from about $12,000 with many being over the $20,000 mark, some much more.

Some companies offer finance arrangements. But remember that you have ongoing costs, franchise fees etc and still have to make your own wage.

For many this is a great alternative to either working for a boss or going it alone in a new business.

Now if you want a bit of fun, do not need to make a fortune overnight, have an outgoing personality and are not afraid to sell there is always Party Plan.

Now come on guys, I am not leaving you out of this, whilst I don’t expect you to sell makeup or slinky underwear, there are several companies that do car care, health product etc. In fact you would be surprised what is sold by Party Plan these days.

Male or female you can start with a minimal budget have a few parties, sell to family and friends and you are away. It can sometimes be surprising who you can sell to, your local butcher, hairdresser, real estate agent, parent groups, sporting groups. Actually, if you are keen it doesn’t take too long before you are earning some reasonable money. There are some great companies out there with equally good products. Once you find one that suits you, it is a matter of signing up and start selling. What you earn is then up to you. In the beginning most companies offer you 20 to 25%. You order and pay for stock and some send you a cheque for the difference other you buy at distributor price and sell at retail price. Mostly you only order what you have sales for so you do not have to keep a lot of stock other than you kit.

In the near future I will delve into each of these in more detail.

Till next time

Paula Duggan