Job Hunting in Hard Times

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That can change. Peter Elbow's book on freewriting, Writing With Power, will get you putting words on paper. Donald Murray's book, Revision Techniques, will help you clean it up.

Both of these books are so practical, and so clear, that you can count on your writing improving.

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The fact that you found this article demonstrates that you have basic computer skills and initiative. That's a good place to start.

Remember, the principles are: pick an industry, identify a problem, write up a solution, place it on the Web, and make contacts. By starting at a level of understanding that you are comfortable with, these steps should be workable.

For example, at the entry level, you might consider writing an article on learning basic Web development skills. Just describe your own study and experimentation. There are a lot of beginners out there who could use books suggestions.

Also, don't be afraid to demonstrate your knowledge. For example, you might want to try articles on: Physical Security and Web Cams, or Regular Equipment Maintenance Saves Money, or Fire Safety and Gasoline Storage.

Whatever the topic, the act of writing and publishing an article will help your job search. You will be surprised on how willing hiring managers are to reward initiative. You approach will be refreshing, and you will certainly stand out.

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Hmm...let's break this up.

Researching problems does take time. It follows, however, that this is something you should be doing anyway. Staying up-to-date in your industry is part of a good job hunt.

The writing element is less clear. It may well be that improving your communication and writing skills will not improve your career. It's difficult to come up with an example to support that, but it could be true.

Learning Web techniques might not be immediately useful. It may be several years before the Internet expands into every operational area.

Networking, however, is fundamental to the traditional job hunt. Web solution articles will expand your network. Even if you don't send out a single contact note, the Internet's spiders and agents will discover your articles and add them to the search engines. With their networking potential, Web articles are a legitimate method for enhancing the job hunt.