• Get your foot in the door.la rencontre image by Yves Damin from Fotolia.com
  
  Finding a job can be a difficult and time consuming process. Take into account that there are many elements involved. In particular, being in the right place at the right time, knowing the right people and past experience. But if you can't get hired in the first place, there's no way to gain that experience. And if you're not working, you're not meeting the right people. Avoid some of the run around by "searching smart." Do your research, network and get out of your house.
  
  

It's What You Know

• Offer your services.help wanted image by Tom Oliveira from Fotolia.com
  
  You need an opportunity to gain experience in order to flaunt your experience to get a job. It's a vicious circle, and it can be especially grueling when you're getting started in a new industry.
  
  1. Answer an ad for an intern: Check your local job listings for an internship program. Many internship programs have the intent of hiring successful interns as employees, but be aware that some do not. Ask about this before you spend three months working for free.
  
  2. Create your own internship: If you don't see an ad for an internship anywhere you'd like to work, create your own. Contact several companies that you could see yourself working for and send them a cover letter, along with your resume. If they have any openings, they are likely to be impressed by your initiative.
  
  

It's Who You Know

• Rub elbows with a potential employer.the boss has a bottle image by Peter Baxter from Fotolia.com
  
  So you don't know anyone.You're new to town or you grew up in this town, but you don't have any relevant contacts to the career you want.
  
  1. Network with professionals: Attend a networking mixer. Several types of workplaces, from film sets to real estate offices, hold mixers to network with people who are trying to get into the business. Look online or in your local newspaper to find events near you.
  
  2. Chat with friends: In the age of social networking, people tend to have a plethora of friends, and the job you seek may be only one degree of separation away. Ask your friends if they know of any relevant companies that are hiring.
  
  

It's Where You Go

• Keep plugging away.job image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com
  
  Great things can happen when you're magically in the right place at the right time.
  This does not always have to do with being a physical presence as much as it pertains to being open and aware.
  
  1. Check listings daily. The job market is a fast paced world. You're out of work, looking for a job and you're diligent. You read the newspaper listings five days a week, so it's not as if you're slacking. But you're missing something---don't skip a day. One way that you can miss out on a great job is by failing to read that one perfect listing. If you're working with an online job board, you might even surf listings twice a day. Some companies might put their listing in late at night or early in the morning, and you might miss it if you're only looking in the afternoon.
  
  2. Visit: If you're not getting a response via email, try visiting some offices in person. Inquire as to whether there are any openings or company job fairs coming up, and leave a copy of your resume with someone who can get it to whoever is in charge. You might just show up on the day that the company you want to work for starts looking for a new employee.