The Great Resignation and an improving economy, which has turned passive lookers into active jobseekers, have increased competition for open positions. That means, if you want to find a new job, you may have to work harder than you have in a decade.

Sitting at your computer responding to ads won’t cut it. You need a multipronged job search plan.

These 7 job search strategies work if you work them.

#1 Make a list of target employers, companies where you would most like to work. See who you may be able to connect with at those businesses by sharing your list with friends, family, and former colleagues.

#2 Check the career sections of your target employers for open positions. According to Glassdoor for Employers, ads on job boards get an average of 250 applications, cited in Inc.  So it’s likely you’ll have less competition when applying directly through the company’s website.

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You never know when you’ll find yourself unexpectedly out of work. It’s happened to me more than once.

I had a variety of full-time jobs while earning my BA. I’ll never forget the day I lost the job that paid all my bills, including rent. Since I was the company’s bookkeeper, I knew the business was struggling.,

But when they gathered the staff and told us they were closing the next day, I was stunned. Each of us would receive a few days of pay.

I quickly landed a restaurant gig, but other employees, some married with kids, weren’t so lucky.

The average severance is 1 or 2 weeks for each year worked. If you’ve been there for 5 years that’s 5 to 10 weeks.

In September, however, 34.5% of the unemployed had been out of work for 27 weeks or more, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation.

While you can’t predict the future, you can take steps to shorten your job search if you do find yourself suddenly unemployed.

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LinkedIn is your face to the business world. It’s often the place recruiters looking for candidates will meet you. It’s the place recruiters and employers who are impressed with your resume will go to learn more about you. While LinkedIn is considered a business platform, it’s important to remember that it’s also a social network. Like many things, you’ll get as much out of LinkedIn as you put into it.

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You may get away with updating the resume you’ve had since college or hastily putting together a resume on your own early in your career. However, once you reach the executive level or are targeting senior executive roles, you need a results-driven executive resume that tells a powerful career story.

The Career Ladder Myth

Most people think of climbing a career ladder. But the career ladder is a myth. It’s a career pyramid. Competition isn’t as tough for early careerists or even mid-level managers because there are a lot of jobs at those levels. As you move into Director, VP, SVP, and the C-Suite roles, however, there are not as many jobs.

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Over the years I’ve looked at a lot of resumes. Some are dreadful. Those that are not as bad need work to get a recruiter’s attention. Particularly, once you reach the executive level.

Common Resume Mistakes

While the resumes are lacking in different ways, they all have some combination of the same problems.

Weak Content

Boring task-focused bullets (managed teams, developed new markets, etc.) or tons of metrics (reached 110% of quota, generated $8M revenue) with no story.

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Do you send cover letters?

How about thank you notes?

If you’re serious about your job search, you should.

I’ve read quite a few posts about cover letters and thank you notes. I’ve written several myself.

If you’re serious about your job search you need to take every opportunity to sell yourself to recruiters and employers.

Yes, an achievement-based resume and compelling LinkedIn profile that demonstrate your value are essential.

But don’t discount the value of cover letters and thank you notes.

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Differentiating yourself from other candidates with similar backgrounds is essential in today’s job market. One way to do that is by creating a portfolio.

Portfolios are not just for creative folks. Wherever your field or industry, a career portfolio can help set you apart.

If you haven’t heard the term, a career portfolio is used to showcase your accomplishments, training, and experience. Your current career level and target position will help determine the contents.

Certainly, if you’re in a creative field, you want to have samples of your work. If you’re an executive a summary of ventures you designed, implemented, and led might prove valuable. Copies of articles and/or white papers you’ve authored can be a good addition too.

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Today the hiring process often begins with a brief phone screening with a third-party recruiter or HR associate. The employer’s main purpose is to get some basic information: your salary requirements and availability.

The interviewer also is trying to get a sense of who you are and how you might fit into the company culture. Smart candidates use an initial interview as an opportunity to learn more about the employer as well.

In some respects it’s like a first date: each party is evaluating whether or not he or she wants to take the relationship further.

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Over the years, I’ve talked to hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who are looking for a new job. They want growth opportunities or more money. Some of them hate their boss. The common thread is that they all want a change.

As with most things some are more successful than others. The successful ones are the ones who do the work. They don’t spend all day every day in front of the computer browsing job boards. (While that gives you a feeling of accomplishment, it’s not very effective.)

Successful job seekers develop a multipronged job search plan and work it every day.

Here is a basic job search plan that you can adapt to your needs. It’s broken down into job search preparation (PREP) and continuing activities (ONGOING). If you’re actively looking, as in you really want to find a job, follow A activities. If you’re passively looking, you’re open but not in any hurry, P is for you.

#1 TARGET EMPLOYERS

PREP – Create a list of 10 or so Target Employers, these are the companies where you would love to work for whatever reason.  Set up Google alerts for each of them so you’ll know when they are in the news.

ONGOING

Monitor the career pages on their company sites. A = 2-3X a week. P = 1X a week.

Contact friends, family, colleagues, etc. to see who they might know who works for one of your target employers (or any employer who’s ad piques your interest). FYI, your alumni association may be able to help with this too.  A = 2-3X hours a week. P= 1 hour a week.

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A few years ago, barely a week when by without news of someone getting fired because of something they posted on social media. As awareness grew people have become more careful.

That’s a good thing.

Particularly if you’re looking for a new job.

Today, 70% of employers research candidates on social networking sites and 47% say that they’re unlikely to contact a candidate for an interview if they can’t find them online, according to a 2018 Career Builder survey.

What are they looking for?

58% —Information that supports the candidate’s qualifications for the job

50%—If the candidate has a professional online persona

34%—What other people are posting about the candidate

22%—A reason not to hire the candidate

 What turns employers off?

Most, if not all, career professionals will tell you to avoid being negative. Even if your boss is the devil incarnate, it’s not something you should share. Here are some numbers: 25% of survey respondents said a primary reason they didn’t hire a candidate was because they bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee.

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