Dear friends and clients,

 This issue is a response to recent events in our economy and calls from my friends and clients who have lost their jobs due to lay offs and closings. I belong to a network group that can help! If you are currently looking for a new job or think you might be in the near future read this and let me know your situation so I can help.

 Your Friend,

 Scott

 Yes, You Can Find a Job in Tough Times

 But the usual methods don't work .

 Lose your job in an economy as bad as this one, and it can be very difficult to find a new one.  Your odds will improve greatly, however, if you know which job-search techniques actually work when large numbers of people are unemployed.  The most common approach - scanning want ads and mailing out resumes - will almost certainly fail.  With so many people unemployed, each job opening listed in the newspaper or on a career Web site is likely to draw hundreds, even thousands, of responses.  Those are tough odds to beat.

 Better job-search strategies.

 Network with an idea, not for a job.  Networking can be a wonderful job-search strategy - but don't just call your contacts and tell them you are looking for work.  In this economy, they have probably been overrun with these calls.

 Instead, take some time to think up a compelling business idea related to your line of business or the line of business that you would like to enter.  When you call your contacts, say that you are researching this idea and would like to meet some of the industry's  insiders to discuss its viability.

 Calling with an idea means that your contacts are unlikely to dismiss you as just another unemployed person desperate for help.  They will see you as someone with something to offer, which means they can put you in contact with others in the field without feeling that they are asking those people for favors.  If people like your idea, these discussions could lead to job offers even though you have not asked for a job.

 Example:  A former paper-industry executive told his network of contacts that he was exploring the idea of launching a business to fund private equity for starting sustainable resources companies, a very hot field.  He was soon offered a job by a private equity firm.

 Apply your skills and knowledge to a sector that is still hiring.  Many companies in the energy, health-care, life sciences, and technology and education sectors are still adding employees.  You might have the necessary experience to land a job in these fields even if your background is in a completely different sector.

 Make a list of your strongest job skills.  Think about how each of these skills could be beneficial to sectors and companies that are still hiring.

 Certain job skills, including sales, customer relations