Leave the khakis at home

Today's job hunters must schmooze, glad-hand--and don business suits

By Joellen Perry

During the heyday of the "new economy" in the late '90s, job hunting took little effort. With unemployment at record lows and desperate firms wooing candidates with sky-high salaries and absurd perks, "anyone who could breathe, basically, could find a job," says Kirsten Watson, CEO of tech recruiting site HireTopTalent.com. Now, with a recession and a layoff-scarred labor force, job-search basics--from pounding the pavement to wearing a business suit--are back in vogue. The following rules can give you an edge in finding a job in today's crowded market:

PREPARE FOR THE WORST. About 2.5 million workers were laid off in 2001, the largest number since the government began tracking mass layoffs seven years ago. Even if your firm appears sound and your job secure, a shaky economy could spur unexpected cuts. "Accept that your job may not be safe," says Nancy Collamer, author of The Layoff Survival Guide, an E-book. "The reality is, very few people are indispensable."

Facing that truth can help you mitigate the mental and financial shock of getting the ax. For example, you might want to discreetly investigate your firm's severance policy and start padding your savings account to cover a potentially lengthy job search. And keep in mind that current business contacts are invaluable resources. "After you've been escorted out the door, all your files may be sitting in a desk you no longer have access to," says Collamer, who suggests keeping copies of contact lists at home.

MAKE NEW FRIENDS. Networking has always been the gold standard of job hunting, says Neal Rist, a senior consultant with career management firm Manchester Inc., who credits some 70 percent of successful job searches to personal contacts. Amid a jam-packed labor pool, says Rist, face-to-face meetings with folks who are hiring--as well as with friends, family members, and business associates who might know of openings--have never been more important. Expand your circle by joining professional organizations, attending industry trade shows, or doing pro bono work in your field. In November 2000, Ernie Villanueva, 43, a systems engineer in Mission Viejo, Calif., was laid off by Cisco Systems. Recently, a former Cisco colleague introduced Villanueva to a friend launching a traffic monitoring firm. Two months later, Villanueva was hired. "Even though I'd spent months applying to jobs, in the end it came down to who I knew," says Villanueva.

STOP SURFING. With thousands of employment Web sites boasting seemingly infinite job openings, it might be tempting to spend all day online zapping out resumes. But the proliferation of sites--and users--has created a resume glut for many employers, some of whom receive thousands of responses to each posting. A report last year from technology analysis firm Forrester Research showed that just 10 percent of job hunters who culled cyberspace leads found positions. So "you should spend 10 percent of your job-hunting time online," says Richard Bolles, author of the world's bestselling career guide, What Color Is Your Parachute?

REINVENT YOURSELF. Be open to career changes and new industries. "A controller is a controller," says Jim Boone, a top executive of recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International. "Many of the skills of that job are readily transferable to other industries." Highlighting such talent can help you make the transition from an ailing industry to, say, the thriving healthcare sector. Marketer Andrea Preziotti, 30, survived two Web site layoffs. By playing up her writing skills, Preziotti, of Brooklyn, N.Y., recently snared a temporary gig developing content for the Winter Olympics Web site. The job not only won her a trip to Salt Lake City but also supports her new goal of becoming a freelance writer. "It never would have happened if I hadn't expanded my idea of the kinds of jobs I was qualified for," she says.

BE YOUR OWN BOSS. Losing a job can give you the freedom to pursue a dream. Brian Orner, 41, and Frank Vallone, 39, former Nortel Networks marketers in Rochester, N.Y., who were laid off last year, decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge after months of fruitless job searches. Last October, using money from their savings, the two introduced PennyPlanes.com, a site that capitalizes on their childhood passion for aviation by selling model-airplane kits. "Business is going better than we ever could have hoped," says Orner.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK. The dot-com collapse and the recent Enron debacle illustrate the importance of researching a potential employer's background. Bone up on a company's financial health by reading newspaper articles on the firm and studying annual reports; call colleagues in the industry to suss out a firm's reputation. Start-ups require special scrutiny. "Take a close look at the firm's funding, at whether its board of directors is reputable, and at whether there's actually a market for their product," says Watson. Bonus: Armed with such intelligence, you'll easily ace the interview.

WHEN IN ROME. While many firms still deem Friday a dress-down day, "there is a bit of a backlash going on" against the anything-goes attire that characterized the dot-com crowd, says John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Don't be afraid to call ahead and discuss the appropriate garb for your interview to avoid a fashion faux pas.
TAKE WEEKENDS OFF. Finding a job should be considered a full-time endeavor, but don't underestimate the emotional and psychic strains of unemployment. "Job searches are loaded with rejection," says Manchester's Rist. "They're illogical, inefficient, and people are not always courteous to you." Choosing to while away a sunny Saturday morning can help you develop the thick skin a search will require.

STAY CONNECTED. Last July, Villanueva and fellow layoff survivor John Pollock, 49, decided to meet each week for a cheap lunch in Mission Viejo, Calif., to share job-hunting tips and travails. Word spread fast, and 80 people now attend their "Taco Tuesday" lunches. The atmosphere is deliberately casual--though recruiters sometimes show up--with many sporting Hawaiian shirts and shorts. "The job-search process is fraught with so much pressure and isolation," says Pollock. "But I leave every Taco Tuesday feeling renewed and ready to begin again."