Job Hunting - Tips on Job Hunting in a Brutal Job Market

It's gotten brutal out there. Job markets throughout the US have turned into combat zones where only the best-prepared, most persistent and sometimes, luckiest, survive the carnage.
But by "survive" I don't mean landing a near-minimum-wage job at Wal-Mart or McDonald's if you've spent four years in college. Survival means finding the career position you've been trained for - and that's a very tall order these days.
Unemployment overall is now hovering between nine and ten percent, as everyone knows who watches the evening news, but in some fields and geographic areas it's much worse. For example, for job hunters between 20 and 24, it's at 15%, and for older workers (those above 50), it's at 12%. True, these rates are very, very gradually declining, but economists don't expect significant decreases in unemployment until at least mid 2011.
Regional differences are significant, too, with job growth slowest in the Northeast and Southwest, according to USA TODAY, and the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes areas experiencing the fastest growth, though from a low base. Overall white-collar hiring is now strongest in the Southeast..
Some specific fields are showing more promise than others - engineering hiring is up strongly, as are computer services, legal services, health care, accounting, and scientific research, according to the paper.
But whatever your field or profession, job hunting has become an act of survival these days, a set of tasks you really need to go about as methodically and intelligently as possible. Your future depends on it. And though opinions vary as to exactly what those tasks are, here are some that nearly all experts agree are vital for effective job hunting in 2011.
Develop a Top-Notch Resume - This is all-important. So don't be shy about seeking out professional help in developing yours.
Network, Network, Network - Some things never change. Career experts estimate that at least 70% of white-collar jobs are still being filled through networking. Start by making a list of everyone you know who might know someone who can help you land a job. Also, get familiarized with LinkedIn, set up your profile there and participate in forums..
Customize Your Cover Letters - Sorry, there's no easy way to write cover letters. You need a customized well-written cover letter for every job you apply for. Using a generic letter is less effort, but then so is staying unemployed.
Attend Career Fairs - Attend as many of these as you can. They provide an excellent opportunity to talk to hiring officials face-to-face and, ultimately, this is the best way to land a job.
Participate in Online Job Sites - Don't ignore Internet sites and resources. There are now thousands of general and specialized sites - it's become a big business. But you must use these online job hunting sites knowledgeably and selectively. Don't blast your resume everywhere - find a few sites related to your specialization and concentrate your precious time on those.
Use Your College Placement Office - Spend a lot of time in your college placement office. Now as for decades in the past, there is just no better place to research job opportunities and meet recruiters. And remember, college placement offices exist to serve alumni as well as new grads.
Relocate If Necessary - Job opportunities vary enormously by field or profession as well as by geographic area. Do some job hunting research online. In which areas of the country are opportunities currently best in your field? Could you afford to relocate there awhile to conduct an intensive job search?
Work Hard At It - Experts recommend that you plan on making your job hunting a full-time occupation. Just spending an hour or two online in the evenings won't cut it in today's hyper-competitive job market. "Plan on making up to 40 phone calls a week, and sending out between 15 and 20 letters to prospective employers, recruiters, and others," says Greg Gostanian, a principal of executive job hunting firm ClearRock.com. "It's important to keep quality in mind... but there's no question that part of this process is a numbers game. In a slow economy you need to better your odds by making more contacts."