You know that you’re talented, bright, and would be an asset to any company that hired you. Your IT skills and abilities are second to none. So why aren’t you landing your dream job? It may be that you just don’t know how to stand out from the crowd. Here are some tips and ideas to help you stand out in your IT job search.

Network. Use your connections with family, friends, and colleagues to help you find job openings that you wouldn’t otherwise hear about.…

With the bleak outlook that the media are giving to the job market in 2009, as a job search coach and resume writer, I am hoping that out of it we can finally put to rest some misconceptions that I believe have really been plaguing professionals for a while and that have a lot to do with the improper outlook many of us have in regard to our careers.

For one, I am hoping that we can finally put to rest the idea that some company will protect you…

Let’s take a look at eight common job search myths…and the reality behind them:

The best qualified individual gets the job.

Actually, it’s the best candidate who gets the job. That person may or may not be the best qualified. Understand the difference.

Job boards are the best source of leads.

Your network is the best source of leads. It’s fine to check online and to peruse the want ads…but don’t spend too much time there. Most jobs are never posted.

It’s nearly impossible to find those hidden jobs.…

In recent months, I have been flooded with stories from talented candidates that send out countless resumes without landing a single interview. The good job postings seem to have dried up. Currently less than 3% of jobs are posted anywhere.

In this job market simply posting your resume online and responding to job postings will not land the dream job. The problem is that the few jobs that are posted receive a barrage of resumes from very qualified candidates.

To succeed you must put yourself on the inside…

How would you like to land a new job in two weeks or less?

You can if you abandon the old-fashioned job search methods and jump on board the fast-paced 21st Century high-speed success engine called “alternative strategies.”

Today there are two job marketplaces. One is the old-fashioned traditional marketplace of resumes, classified ads, website postings, agencies and recruiters, interviews and rejection letters.

The other is the hot fast-track job search marketplace of career partners, contact banks, automated interviews, professional introductions, interactive dialogs, on-the-spot employment creation and savvy negotiations.…

Today there are two job marketplaces. One is the old-fashioned traditional marketplace of resumes, classified ads, website postings, agencies and recruiters, interviews and rejection letters.

The other is the hot fast-track job search marketplace of career partners, contact banks, automated interviews, professional introductions, interactive dialogs, on-the-spot employment creation and savvy negotiations.

You see, the 21st Century job market has changed a lot. The old-fashioned ways of job hunting mean that you could be looking for a job for months. Besides, expectations of both employers and job-seekers have moved in…

Personal development strategies are critical to your job search success. And learning to become a “job entrepreneur.” is right at the top of the list. Very simply, it means running your job campaign like your own business. Becoming a job entrepreneur is an exciting “alternative” job search method.

There are many aspects to conducting your alternative search methods like a job entrepreneur. First, it means abandoning any kind of mass marketing approach like mailing hundreds, even thousands of resumes. Or posting your digital resume on a job website like…

If you’re disappointed in your job search success, you’re not alone. People go into the job market with a set of expectations . . . especially about how long it should take to find a good job. And most people seriously underestimate the time.

So they get understandably nervous. Then the pressure of being unemployed gets intense. And job seekers start to take seriously unhelpful actions. For example, they resort to mass resume mailings or desperate postings on job websites like monster.com or hot jobs.com. Or they start making…

So, you’re ready to head into the job marketplace for the first time. If you want to do it right, you should have a job campaign plan. Your job search resume is part of that plan.

Before you do anything, take a long hard look at what you’ve got going for you that would be of interest to an employer. Don’t consider only jobs you’ve had. An employer is much more interested in what you bring to the table that can make a difference going forward . . .…

It’s easy, right? Post your resume on a couple of those famous job websites like Monster or HotJobs.

And then wait for the responses to come in.

OK. You’re anxious to get as much exposure as possible. Nothing wrong with that. But those job websites is definitely NOT the way to go . . . unless you plan to spend weeks or months looking for a job.

I suppose we’re all victims of “do it fast and easy” digital techniques. It seems logical. The internet provides…