Personal Finance: Get coffee, hit the gym to job-seek

Matthew Krzus and his friends graduated from college in May, and most of them are struggling to get jobs.

"Even though we've come close, there's always something," he said. One friend, who swears he has behaved identically in all interviews, was called "too intense" in one and too laid-back in another.

Krzus has been in third-round interviews that seemed like done deals, focusing on salary and start dates. Then came disappointment. In one case, he received a call saying that the vice president's niece needed the job, and in another was told that the company could hire only one person and needed to weave an entry-level job with a higher-level position.

"We joke that we need to know the magic formula for what to say," he said.

His comment is universal, spoken by job seekers young and old as they navigate one of the most competitive job markets in decades. It is why people must be creative and stretch beyond the usual advice about resumés, dress, handshakes, and smiles.

A key is to enlarge your job search.

Go to the coffee shop or the gym. Because employers have not had enough employees for three years, managers are desperate to get work done. So bring a solution directly to them and not through human resources, said Jeffrey G. Allen, author of Instant Interviews: 101 Ways to Get the Best Job of Your Life.

Go to a Starbucks or gym, for example, in a neighborhood where managers live and start conversations, asking managers about their businesses, listening for their needs, and offering solutions, Allen said.

If you have a specific company or job in mind, try parking lots in office parks and warehouse districts. Hang out at conference hotels and choose seats on trains and in airports next to people with laptops.

Bypass HR. Allen's basic premise from his days in human resources: People in HR do not know the job, the need, or whether you fit, so you have to get to the decision-maker. Ask a contact on online-networking site LinkedIn to pass your resumé to a specific individual and aim for an introduction in a specific department. Or go hear a manager speak, exchange cards, and follow up with a comment on the topic.

Browse online for research, not applications. Beware of too much time on the Internet, said Eliminated! Now What? author Jean Baur. Instead of applying for jobs alongside hundreds, use the Web for research so that you know the company and manager and where you might fit in. Learn industry buzzwords and hot buttons and use them in resumés and interviews.

Follow the news. In community newspapers or trade publications, look for these topics, because they suggest a need for new hires: A promotion or retirement, or a business relocating, acquiring a site or other business, expanding, or getting a new contract.

Get discovered. To stay visible while looking for work, consider volunteering in an area that might provide contacts or experience. Also speak, write articles, or teach a class, maybe through adult education or a university-extension service. Ask people about their businesses and talk about solutions you might provide companies or organizations. Ask for referrals to firms or people.

Turned down for a job? If you get turned down, ask about needs (and introductions) elsewhere in the company and industry. "Turn this into networking," Baur said.

Get a contract. After years of cost-cutting, many companies have projects they need to get done and find it safer to offer contract jobs than make permanent hires. So Baur suggests looking for projects when networking, and notes that experience can lead to a job. Carrie Shea, chief executive officer of Griffin Strategic Advisors L.L.C., said senior managers were valuable in projects.