When my son asked me recently for help in finding a better job, My first inclination was to revert him back to the tried and true; dress sharp, get you a great resume, fill out tons of applications and in the end...realize it's probably going to come down to who you know.  As we talked I realized all that probably wasn't going to help him one bit. In good times, with lots of jobs around the tried and true methods work just well enough to keep them popular. For the aggressive of us or really for all of us needing a job in tough times we should really try and understand a few hidden truths. 

These days it's pretty common to hear job hunting horror stories. Like the guy who spent a fortune to mass-mail his resume to thousands of different companies. He's still wondering why he hasn't gotten one reply. Or even worse the great candidates who employers keep telling they're overqualified... because they're afraid they'll leave for a better job when one comes along. Then there's the sales executive who had a target of three solid interviews per week: two months later...not one offer.

These scenarios are not unusual and these job seekers were probably quite competent. So why were they still out of work?  These people all have something in common, something they share with most job seekers. They're following the traditional approach to job hunting. Even to the point of thinking it's a numbers game. Even the most aggressive of these, the sales executive who is doggedly pursuing interviews, is really just gambling. He believes he has to have lots of interviews before anyone will hire him, as though at some point he will have hit the elusive winning number.

Only one real job description: Add profit.
Our culture, our schools, our parents and employers all have mislead you. The employment system is slanted one way while the workplace is slanted in quite a different way. Business is focused, more than ever, on work as opposed to  jobs. Meanwhile, the system continues to choke itself on the traditional job -- expelling millions of classified ad pages and online job postings every week, and right behind them the millions of rejected applicants whom they encourage to participate again next week in this almost mindless feeding frenzy.

Is corporate America 's hunger for workers satisfied? Is it done hiring? Many companies in fact aren't even looking to fill empty jobs. They are leaving lots of positions unfilled -- attrition -- in an effort to reduce costs. No...but at the same time don't confuse "traditional jobs" with work. As these companies are reducing their headcount many are hiring more record numbers of consultants, contractors and part time workers. They are farming more work out to subcontractors who operate from home and outsourcing for skills. What matters most nowadays is getting the work done profitably, whether that means hiring full time workers or something much less traditional.

Understand what employers really need.
Hiring managers want one kind of worker: the person who can solve problems and have a positive impact on the bottom line.  Increasingly managers are measured on how successfully they (a) reduce costs, and (b) increase profits. Is it any wonder managers expect a lot from job candidates? They need workers who can help them address these two problems. 

As a job seeker you can't offer the value employers need by sending them a cookie-cutter resume that focuses on your history and expect that to magically open the doors. What a manager needs to know is how you're going to tackle the specific work they need to have done. On average job seekers  do a terrible job presenting these solutions to hiring managers. The most sophisticated workers, who ordinarily produce powerful solutions to problems they face every day on the job, often present potential employers with a weak collection of buzz phrased history about themselves rather than with real help. Then they puzzle over why a particular manager hasn't extracted from their resumes the justification to hire them.

Solutions 
What does this mean to the job hunter? It means you're dancing to the tune of the wrong piper. Ok, maybe you shouldn't forget everything you've learned. The "tried and true" is good advice and will often keep you in the hunt. Realize though...it's just the first step, to be a success you have to take it farther. Don't go on lots of interviews. Don't talk with people whose job is to just categorize and file your papers. Politely refuse to answer standard questions like, "So, where do you see yourself in five years?" from low level clerks who represent companies that don't keep workers for five years. When you start searching for a new job, place a renewed emphasis on your work and your ability to do it. That's what will really help yields a job offer -- not your resume or clever answers to the latest, greatest trendy interview questions.

What does a serious job hunter do? They start a job search the same way they start a work day: with an assessment of what work (the prospective employer's) needs to be done and with a decision about how best to apply their considerable skills and talents to getting it done profitably. 

Also don't be afraid to look for recruiters (try to get those that specialize in your industry). Listen to their guidance and let them help you find the right opportunity. Watch closely at how they present you. Generally they won't rely on resumes they are looking for a match and how to get that prospective employer to see you as such. Good advice for any of us.