The days of door to door job applications are dead. To get in front of the right hiring managers, you have to take slightly more strategic approaches. These strategies include all of the same tactics found in traditional marketing efforts, plus a few from the world of internet marketing. When properly applied, these basic strategies will place you squarely in front of hiring managers that may lead to your next position.

Finding your next employer can be challenging, especially if your job hunt is limited to blind posts on job boards or cold calls to network connections. However, basic market analysis will go a long way to improve your odds. Some of the best sources for market information during a job hunt are lists maintained by organizations like Dun and Bradstreet or D&B. These types of lists provide accurate information pertaining to the fiscal performance and market of various companies.

Searching these data sources for companies in your local market or industry will identify a number of potential employers. If you take the information a bit further, you can rank employers by gross product, number of employees, or even office locations. This approach will allow you to prioritize employers by potential and target the most likely companies first. This prioritized list can serve as a plan of attack, guiding your job search efforts.

Some people consider this sufficient planning. In most markets they would be correct. However, in the current economic climate, jobs are scarce and employers are picky. It is wise to establish every possible market advantage before approaching any potential employer. Once a priority list has been created, it is easy to find additional contacts within the company using linkedIn or other social networking tools.

Often times these additional contacts will provide insight into the needs of the company. They could also serve as references later in the process. If you are really lucky, they may even arrange a personal interview with the hiring manager. Identifying one-well connected individual on the inside of a target company can do more for your job search than twenty job applications.

If you are unable to connect inside the company, another powerful source of information is the job boards themselves. Reviewing current or past positions within a company can help you gauge the company’s style and needs. It can also help you mold your resume to fit these needs, increasing your appeal to the hiring manager.

Finding a job is much like anything else, putting in the initial planning and research will be handsomely rewarded in the long run. In this case, understanding the needs of the target company, tweaking your resume to fit those needs, and building on existing connections are three of the most effective types of preparation you can commit to. If done well, you will be ready to present your background to the potential hiring manager and have a high degree of success in moving to the next level.

It’s not always easy to get up the courage to hand your resume off to one of your target companies. Some people just get to embarrassed or nervous to reach out and ask for the job. That is where resume cards can help. A resume card looks similar to a business card, but instead of pitching your employer, it pitches your skills. Fortunately, it feels just like trading business cards instead of pushing for a job. This approach allows you to focus on networking and building relationships, but leaves the people you meet with a bit of information about your skills and target job.

Resume cards can come in many designs or you can choose to create your own unique design. Just remember that you want to keep your resume card short and to the point. If you put too much information on your resume card, it could end up looking cluttered and could be hard to read.

What should a resume card include?
Contact information must be on the card. Your email, phone number, and fax number must be included to make the card look and feel like a regular business card.

In addition to the contact information on your regular business cards, you should also include social networking information. For instance, if you have an account created on linkedIn, Twitter, or other networking sites you will want to include links to these on your resume card.

If your resume is readily available online, include a link to that as well.

If you have a professional blog that, it would be wise to include that as well.

When to use a resume card:
When you are sending out paper copies of your resume it is a good idea to include your resume card. Your resume card can serve a couple purposes: It will help your resume stand out a little bit more. It will also give the employer a quick reference to your resume and contact information. It also creates one extra discussion point for the employer.

When you are at networking events, make sure you have plenty of resume cards on hand to pass out. At most networking events, almost everyone has a card on hand to exchange. This is the perfect time to pass out your resume without creating an uncomfortable situation. Then when people get back to their office the next day, they will see your resume card amongst the business cards.

Resume cards are a great way to present your resume or to give a teaser of your resume without creating an awkward situation. Just remember when you hand them out that you will have to spend your own money to restock them!

Ready for some well deserved good news? I think we all are right about now. It has been a very long and hard year for many of us and some good news would do us all well. Most companies report that their big hiring months are January through March. With 2010 peaking around the corner this is great news for the unemployed!

Start getting prepared now. If these months are truly the big hiring months you will want to be ready and prepared. Here are a few refresher tips:

Review and update your resume. If you have worked any freelancing jobs or if you have been involved with any job related volunteering update your resume. Remember that employers want to see that you are staying active.

Do you have a blog? If so, make sure to throw in a few new articles. Let people know that you are still actively looking for a job! Don’t assume that people will remember that you are looking for a job even if it is someone you talk to once a month. Send out friendly reminders that you are still looking.

If you went on a few interviews in 2009 and you know they are not filled yet, reach out and give them a call. Reintroduce yourself to the hiring manager or company. You can even resend your updated resume.

Hopefully you have updated your electronic resume on the job boards. However if you haven’t now is the time! Get back on the job boards and start posting to newly released job postings. Don’t forget about the older job postings!

Follow up with your network. As the hiring push approaches, reaching out to your network can prepare you for upcoming jobs. Many of the most unlikely members of your network may be aware of a job opening on the horizon or a recent opening.

Most importantly, keep your head up. Staying optimistic and constantly looking for that next opportunity will pay off in time.