In a job market that has taken a nose-dive of a downward turn in the past several months, it’s more important than ever to have a strategy for finding a new gig if you’ve been laid off recently.

It’s also important to remember to be creative and resourceful when job hunting these days. Tactics that probably worked wonders during your last hunt are likely not going to cut it in today’s market.

For example, while in the past it may have been quite effective to use sites like Monster and Craigslist to find a new job, this tactic won’t get you as far when these sites are positively flooded with job seekers all in the same laid-off boat. It’s still somewhat useful to post your resume online, but don’t spend too much of your time online as it will mostly amount to a waste due to the number of people doing the same.

So, where to look then? In good times, only about 20% of available positions are ever advertised. In a slower economy, even fewer jobs than that are publicly announced in any way because employers don’t want to be flooded by resumes. It’ll help you immensely to dig for unadvertised openings through networking and by contacting potential employers directly.

A good way to spend some time online, however, is to get more involved in social networking sites. Though Myspace probably won’t help land you your dream job, sites like www.Facebook.com

and www.LinkedIn.com can be incredibly helpful in establishing contacts and career networking. These days any way you can connect reliably through people you know gives a huge jump on the game. Just remember of course to keep your profiles looking top notch.

Another strategy job seekers are taking on is to drastically up the number of contacts they make by sending out as many resumes as they can per day, and also becoming more flexible in the jobs that they’ll accept. Unfortunately, a down economy breeds the need for a bit more give from job seekers, and it may be difficult to find a full-time job with the salary and other conditions you have in mind. You may be offered contract or project work, part time work or a bit less than the salary you’d had in mind. If you can afford to, accept what they’re offering, especially if it’s at a company where you see growth and the potential for bigger opportunities later. A foot in the door will be worth more than all the resumes you can drop in the mail in uncertain financial times.

Most importantly you want to get back in the game and work hard from there. In today’s market your first step is to get a job; the next step is to continue your “search” and work hard to get to the job you want. Don’t rest on your laurels once you are hired but instead take finding your job and career in bite sized chunks.

To gain a bit more of an edge, consider relocating. Not only are job candidates who are willing to move in even shorter supply than usual these days due in part to a collapsed real estate market that could mean selling a house for much less than it’s worth, but expanding the geography of your job search greatly increases the number of opportunities you’ll have to hook a new one.
Most of all, don’t become discouraged if you find it harder to make contacts than it used to be. Remember, although a good portion of the country is in the same situation, if you’re dedicated, flexible and persistent you will find that job you’ve been searching for.