By Brian Sorensen / President-Elect,  Northwest Arkansas Human Resources Association (NOARK)

The U.S. Labor Department recently reported the national unemployment rate fell from 10% in December to 9.7% in January.  While this is promising for economic recovery, there are still many people reeling from the loss of employment.  Losing a job can be an emotionally devastating event. Finances, relationships and sense of self-worth can all suffer as a result of being laid off.  It’s natural to feel depressed and go through a grieving process after it happens, but it’s important to quickly shift gears and begin creating a strategy to get back on track.

Here are three tips for job seekers surfing choppy waters in today’s employment environment:

Research. There are a multitude of Internet job boards. The Web sites that spend the most on advertising (e.g., CareerBuilder, Monster, Hot Jobs) are where most people start their search, but don’t overlook smaller job boards such as Indeed and Simply Hired.  These two sites are vertical search engines that pull job postings from across the Internet and give results in an easy-to-sort fashion.  Corporate Web sites and niche job boards hosted by professional associations such as the American Marketing Association, or Society for Human Resource Management and the like, are also excellent sources.

Update Your Résumé. The job market is flooded with quality job seekers. Hiring managers and recruiters can be more selective in who is chosen for an interview. Update your résumé to highlight skills that relate to specific job openings.  Job descriptions, along with contacts inside the hiring organization, are the best sources of information regarding specific skills and competencies sought for the position.  Resist the urge to create a generic résumé to be submitted for every job of interest.  Instead, create multiple résumés based on the subtleties of each job, highlighting the relevant skills, competencies and experiences that would lead to success if hired.

Network. Take advantage of networking opportunities, such as meetings of professional associations, chambers of commerce, and job fairs. Technology makes it possible for us to network in the absence of face-to-face interaction, too.  Social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook provide opportunities to make new contacts and inquiries about available jobs. In fact, LinkedIn has its own job board that lets job seekers connect with their own contacts in a hiring organization.  Knowing someone on the inside can improve the odds of obtaining an interview… and ultimately a new job.

Finding a new job is a job in and of itself. It takes hours of diligent work to identify, apply, interview and ultimately accept a new position.  You may find frustration sets in when all your hard work doesn’t pay off quickly. Your willingness to change career paths, or even relocate, may improve your odds.  Above all, a well thought-out strategy and plenty of patience are the keys to a successful job search.

Brian Sorensen is President-Elect of the Northwest Arkansas Human Resources Association (NOARK), an affiliate of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).  He is employed by Tyson Foods, Inc. as a Talent Development Manager, and is certified by the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).