1. Network.

This is the most important thing you should do. The job market slowed down a lot and layoffs are everywhere. Still, there are jobs that are not advertised in job portals or in newspapers. If you have contacts inside the companies, you will get to know these jobs easily.

If you are out of the job, don’t be shy about asking for help. Tell your friends and family that you are looking for a job. Send resume to all managers you previously worked with. Call all your contacts and ask whether they know of any suitable openings.

Websites like LinkedIn and Facebook will also be helpful if you have good number of connections in those websites. LinkedIn is more popular in terms of job search. It has exclusive job listings that require you to apply thru LinkedIn. If you have good number of recommendations in your LinkedIn profile, your resume has better chances of impressing the hiring manager. One major advantage with LinkedIn is that your resume goes directly to the hiring manager in most of the cases.

2. Customize your resume and cover letter.

I personally don’t take any resume seriously if there is no cover letter. Cover letter is a must; it should describe briefly about your skills and achievements. You also need to send customized cover letter and resume to each employer depends on the position you are looking for and the company you are applying to. Proper research on the companies and potential hiring managers will help to customize the resume. If you send different resume to different employers, keep a log of what document you sent to each employer. It will come in handy, when you get the interview call.

3. Paid Job Portals.

If all fails, join sites like TheLadders.com. This site requires you to pay to access the job listings. It would cost you $120 for 6 months. Monthly fee is $30, but it’s better to sign up for 6 months. This site has free access too but with limited access to job listings. This site is more useful especially if you have 10+ years relevant experience. You may want to signup for free accees and check out the site before upgrading to premium.

Is it possible to network with other real estate investors without paying lot of money to Robert Allen kind of guys? I read good reviews about biggerpockets.com. This website has forums that are reasonably active. If you have questions about buying your first house or renting out your old houses or anything to do with real estate, check this out.  I believe that sites like this would be more useful for real estate investors rather than generic social networking sites like facebook or myspace.

If you are interested in real estate investing, check out the site. Investors only, not for speculators!

Related Link: Is it the right time to buy house?