This agency owner’s response to that comment: “I don’t want people who ‘need a job’, I want people who want a job HERE.”

I thought that statement summed up a lot of what I’ve seen and heard in the marketplace lately, too. I hear a lot of “I need a job.” That’s the wrong approach. Here’s why:

* It’s no one’s job to give you a job. There are no more handouts. It’s as competitive as its ever been out there. You have to take that damn seriously. And that agency owner I spoke with? It’s not his job either. His job is to find the best talent that is going to help him achieve the best results for his clients (and ultimately, his agency).

* “I need a job” is too general of a statement. When you’re looking for a job, you need specificity. Both in organizations and agencies you’re targeting and in describing yourself.

It’s tough out there. No doubt about it. But, in environments like this, the most committed wins. It’s always been that way. Those that are willing to bust their tails, WILL find a job. It’s the difference between those who say “I want to work in PR” and those who say “I NEED to work in PR.”

Let me tell you a bit about my personal experience. Coming out of school 15-plus years ago, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was working at a golf course to pay my “bills” (I was living at home). A friend of mine said I should come join her working for a mortgage company focused on mobile homes. Essentially the job was faxing and a lot of office-type coordination.

I lasted one day. Never went back.

That experience drove my decision-making for a long time. I knew I didn’t want to “survive” at a job like that. I wanted to be excited to go to work each day. I wanted a career. I wanted much more. And that motivated me. I wasn’t going to settle. I wasn’t going to just “get a job.” I wanted a job in PR. And I started devising a path to get there (which included three UNPAID internships).

Now, I don’t recommend taking my path. But, I do recommend taking a more methodical approach to the job search. You have to if you want to compete against the hundreds of other candidates out there. The good news is: Few people are still playing the game the right way. It’s easier to cut through the clutter than you might think. Trust me. Sarah Anderson, a young student who’s working a bit with me now, is a perfect example of that.

So, what do I recommend? Consider baking the following components into your job search:

* Start a hard target search. Again, don’t just look for a job–look for the right job. I’m not saying you hold out all hope for that dream job working for The White House. But, I am saying you should develop a list of all the organizations and agencies you would love to work for. Start there. And focus ALL your time and energy on those targets.

* Master your elevator speech. I was pretty surprised last Thursday at our HAPPO Hour event. I met some incredible students. But very few of them had a polished elevator speech. When asked, “what do you do”? I got some pretty soft answers. Hone your speech. Write it out. Practice it. And make damn sure before you go to a networking event you have that thing down to a science.

* Brush up on the basics. Like I said above, it’s not all that tough to stand out from the crowd. Case in point, the first time I met with Sarah (see above), she came prepared with specific questions and had clearly done her research on me. She knew who I was and what I cared about (for the most part). I will tell you VERY few people put in that time and effort prior to a meet-up. Be one of those people. It will pay off. It certainly did for Sarah.

* Solid follow-up is critical. When and how you follow up after that coffee or networking event is absolutely critical. My suggestion? Start with email (provided you have it). Send a short note thanking him/her for their time. Mention a point/issue you discussed when you spoke. And then, offer up information you think might benefit that contact. For example, after the HAPPO event the other night, I sent someone I spoke with briefly a quick note. I noticed during my time chatting with this person that he’s a bit of a beer snob–me too! So, I included a link to a great beer community site I thought he might enjoy (Pintley–if you’re interested). Not a huge deal, but just a nice way to separate myself from others in this contact’s frontal lobe.

Those are my tips. What about you? How can students separate themselves from the massive competition out there right now?

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What do you want your career to provide? Do you want a position that caters to your intelligence? Do you love to work outside? Write a list of all the things that you want from your next position.

2. Take a look at what you do in your spare time

Do you love to cook? Are you always in your garden tending to the vegetables? Do you want to bowl a perfect game? Write down what you love to do. This list will assist you in your next career move.

3. Research

Every career has a name and a definition of duties. Check out a site like the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find out which jobs best match what you want and enjoy. Find out the range of expected salaries for your potential position.

4. Find out what skills you have

What are some of the things that will carry over to the new position? Can you type 80 words a minute? Are you great at managing people? These skills can be a benefit to you.

5. Look into the past

What were the accomplishments at the jobs that you have had? Were you employee of the month? Did you bring your department’s sales up? What do you enjoy about the jobs that you’ve had?

6. Network

Do you know anyone who does the job you want? Talk with them and find out what kinds of jobs are available in their field. The network you develop has front-line knowledge that may not be easily gleaned from a newspaper or website. Look in the local paper for networking meetings.

7. Look for training

Do you know that you need to have X degree or Y certificate? Find out if there are any schools or universities in the area which train for your career. Don’t overlook the online degree and certificate programs.

8. Get an internship

Internships are available in many professions. You can gain first-hand information about your new profession. Architectural and engineering firms offer internships as do many of the skilled trades positions.

9. Job search

Read the job listings. See what you might enjoy and apply for the positions. Ask questions and maintain a positive attitude.

10. Talk with a career counselor

Career counselors have the tools available to assist you with your path. They have questionnaires and assessments. Most of all, a counselor can provide reassurance and direction when choosing a career path.

Researching a new career path can be both frustrating and rewarding. Study what you have done. Find out what you love doing. A new and fulfilling career is just around the corner.

James Adams is a technology analyst who works with a print cartridge store specialising in the supply of ink cartridges to industry and consumers in the UK.

Chris Russell, a web designercreated a Green Job search engine and has seen an ample amount of success, “I started experimenting with green jobs last year with niche sites for green jobs.”

“I saw the growth and noticed there were a lot of green job boards out there.”

The site has been live for just a little over a month, and already there have been 10,000 hits with 15 job sources utilizing the service.

Russell expands on his thoughts concerning the industry, “Hopefully as it grows, I can look at the global market because this is definitely a global phenomenon.
A lot of these companies are creating sustainability officers to reduce their carbon footprint.”

That is but one example of how specialized search services can be used to find success in job hunting. The sites are easier to maintain, and provide an environment which can be less overwhelming than larger outfits.

For employers, there are benefits which come from searching for talent on specialized services. First, finding potential employees using a specialized site is an early indicator for spotting ambitious employees. There are hundreds of thousands of resumes on Monster.com, but it takes initiative to find and host a resume on a smaller, more focused site.

As with any advice, you’re not guaranteed success using this method. Instead, just add it to your job hunting or hiring strategy. Here are a few sites to look at for examples on where to start:

Gamasutra – Video Game

Engineer.net

FreeLance Job Search

Krop.com

I think what is being done is very important – helping out the community find jobs, and help point them in the right direction. But that is not enough – as it is only half the battle. I will help those I know with opportunities, but that means putting down my name as a reference, and that is my personal name on the line for people. I do that for friends, colleagues I believe in, and friend’s of friends whose word I trust.

Throughout my career, almost all my jobs have come through referrals or recommendations from past interactions. That is how the world works, and you have to allow your work to speak for you, not your social media presence. Your social media presence, while important (especially for new college graduates) as it shows your understanding of how social media works, is not an end-all, be-all. It’s interesting that the really big names in social media are not involved in #HAPPO, isn’t it? It’s likely because they don’t care about anything but themselves, using social media as a tool in self promotion, and only self promotion. Well, you can probably scratch the likely.

So here’s my advice on finding a job, and where to look, and what you need to do. And it’s targeted to college students, as that is the next generation that we need to think about (and whom I work with the most, it seems).

You are only as good as your network. Go to mixers and events, and meet people. Go to the IABC or PRSA events – if you are not a member, they do have open events – and meet professionals. Go to social media events to learn, and meet people. Get out of the chair, though, and network. And network on Twitter with good conversations and astute points. It’s how I met Sarah Lilly, and other students in the past, and how I know that they actually care about the industry. Sarah reached out to me, asked me questions, showed an interest that wasn’t fake, sucking up, or flattery. It was sincere, and I’ll keep an eye out for her when she graduates and refer her to people. If she chooses.

Join LinkedIn, and connect with people you have worked with in the past, and know your personal job history and work ethic. Not people you met in the industry, but people you know and worked with (agency or client, does not matter).

Find mentors, and choose them wisely. For the past 7 or 8 years (hey, I lose track of time), I have been mentoring college students, mainly through Robert French at Auburn, and now through Karen Russell at University of Georgia. I have also mentored students at Michigan State University, Pepperdine, Alabama and others.

By mentoring, I mean I am there to answer questions, help them out with situations, give advice and more. I’m basing those answers on 15 years of public relations experience, and about the same amount of time in social media or online PR or influencer relations (pretty much all the same). Those years give me insight and advice that is time tested.

Seeing people with less than one year in public relations and social media touting themselves as mentors is both scary and laughable. You should run away from those people, run away as fast as possible, as they bring you nothing but pain and trouble. Those people with no real experience that are mentoring are not mentoring to help you, but to make themselves feel important. No one that green has any business mentoring students, but should be listening and seeking out their own mentors. Instead, they’re creating little social media ego monsters.

Why do I mentor? Because I like the industry I am in, I have had great mentors in the past that I still speak to on a regular basis, and I feel it is my duty to do the same. I still am in contact with most of my old interns, and mentored students … because that’s what you do if you really do care. And I learn from them as well, seeing how they are using technology, how they view certain things in social media, and how things are being discarded.

Now, what can you do on your own to find a job? There are plenty of job boards and places you should look, and professors you should keep in contact with on a regular basis. Join KITList and Young PR Pros, as both have PR opportunities.

Keep in contact with people you have worked with in the past, those you went to school with, and realize that finding a job is the hardest job you will ever have. One of the UGA students I’ve mentored, Erin Burry, gave up unemployment for Lent and is waking up at 6.00 AM every day to start her job search: that’s dedication, and it will pay off for her as it shows the right drive and work ethic to get a job and do well. And, yes, I’ve referred people to her as well.

It’s not enough to sit back, though, and expect these jobs to come through #HAPPO on Twitter. You have to have the drive to go out and meet, network, and more. The job market is not the best I’ve seen – especially for more seasoned professionals, it flat out sucks because of low-balling – but there are opportunities out there. Stay calm, stay cool and collected, and hope for the best.

But, those of us with jobs need to remember to pay it forward as it is a two-way street. #HAPPO will be successful only if PR pro’s really help each other out. Otherwise, it will be like too many things in social media: too fleeting, people and companies taking part of it to feel good about themselves, but actually do nothing. Just because it was today, does not mean you should not continue to network and mentor others.

As this post was very focused on PR students, and graduates, here’s a takeaway for senior PR people: the recession has impacted everyone, including those with college degrees and a number of years of experience. All this advice (still) applies as well: network, network, network. Look into freelancing to keep on top of trends, media, and more. Brush up on social media, such as Twitter, FourSquare, LinkedIn, Facebook and other forms.

The days of looking for a job in the newspaper are dead, and the online job board is suffering as well. You find any quality on HotJobs, Monster or Craigslist anymore, or is it through personal networks, and in a way, the LinkedIn job boards?

And, if you are employed remember this: you cannot afford the luxury of sitting back and being dickish to those people looking for work right now, as most of them are unemployed through no fault of their own, but due to the economy and mismanagement. None of us can rest on our laurels, because those are fleeting and all of us can be in the same boat at one time or another.

Plus, if you are a corporation or PR firm, think of this: I know that it’s easier to hire those people that are employed, as they are “sexier” to you. The unemployed PR executives are likely just as qualified, if not more so. I look at people I know that are working and scratch my head as they are just good at politics, and not PR. And I look at those that are not employed that are great in PR, but just might be too blunt (like me) or choose not to play politics.

Remember, it’s just today that is #HAPPO but it’s networking for forever. Good luck in the job hunting, we’ve all be there.

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If you’re just stepping into this new world as an executive and want to know how to search for a job the right way, don’t just sit there filled with uncertainty. Instead, you can take advantage of these tips to search for jobs the right way.

Start with Networking

Statistics show that over 80 percent of executive jobs are filled through some type of networking. This is unlike many lower-level jobs that can easily be pursued and filled via online applications. Through social clubs, lunch meetings, and other professional avenues, you could easily run into the right person who knows the president of the right company who is looking for an executive. So never forget the value of networking as you look for your first or next executive job. If you do, you might just be cutting yourself out of a lot of great opportunities.

Make the Most of a LinkedIn Account

Because LinkedIn is the #1 job search/networking site on the Internet, you can benefit greatly from setting up an account and making your home there. However, if you’re going to set up the account, it’s important that you make the most of it. Many executives use their profile as a way to simply duplicate their resume. However, by doing this, you are cutting short the many benefits of the site.

Through your profile, you have an opportunity to not just highlight your professional and educational background, as well as your accomplishments; you also have the opportunity to make connections with professionals you have a great rapport with. As you make these connections, you can ask for professional recommendations. By securing recommendations from the right people, you can make your LinkedIn account even more impressive than the resume you submit to companies. This is definitely something you don’t want to take for granted.

Protect Your Name and Reputation as an Executive

When you reach the level of an executive, you almost become a celebrity who has to be "on" more often than not. This means, it is more important than ever that you maintain a stellar reputation at all times, as this could affect your job search – and ultimately, your ability to secure a position.

In the Internet world, this means avoid having the MySpace page with graphics and pictures of your fun nights out. At this stage in your career, you will definitely be judged your actions, as well as the company you keep, so handle your job search process with the same care that you would run your organization.

Being an executive carries with it a great deal of responsibility, which undoubtedly carries over into your job search. So as you look for employment, take your reputation into consideration at all times. It could make or break your ability to secure a great position.

In fact, the process can be downright discouraging, which is why it’s good to keep with you a few ways that you can keep your spirits up during your job search. Let’s look at what they are …

Maintain Your Sense of Control

One reason that job searches can be so discouraging is because they seemingly force you to relinquish your control. Once you type up your resumes and cover letters and hand them out, you’re left to bite your nails as you wait for interviews to flood in. But even if you secure one interview, you’re still left with the task of biting your nails some more as you wait to see if you’ve actually landed the position you want.

These aspects of the process make you feel that you’re leaving your destiny completely in someone else’s hands. In a sense, you are. But in a greater sense, you’re not. If you think about it, you’re leaving your destiny with that company in someone else’s hands, but there are plenty of other opportunities out that that you can grab. So as you hand out your resumes and cover letters, it’s good to maintain a sense of control by creating new connections and educating yourself further in your industry. This way, you can feel confident that one battle lost will by no means cost you the war.

Learn to Appreciate the Journey

Probably one of the most challenging aspects of a difficult job search is appreciating the steps taken along the way. It’s pretty easy to slip into an attitude of dismay as you watch yourself being turned down for more positions than you could have imagined possible. However, believe it or not, it’s just as easy in this circumstance to see the glass half full as it is to see it half empty. In other words, you can just as easily see the positives of being in this predicament.

What are they, you ask? Well, for one, you have more freedom now than you’ve probably had in a long time; freedom that you probably begged for when you were leading your busy life as a professional. Now you have it, so it’s good not to waste it. During this time, you can look at other opportunities that you may have considered engaging but were too busy to do so when working. Also, you can make time for your family and leisurely activities. Don’t let this time get you down. Instead, let it help you grow even more profoundly into the person you want to be.

Probably one of the most important ways to keep your spirits up is to be proud of your ability to persevere in tough times. You are stronger than you could have ever imagined. Embrace this incredible aspect of your personality. This, along with your gifts of appreciation and emotional stability will help you make the most of your journey toward your next great opportunity.