Fact: The more people who know you, the less time you'll spend hunting for employment. Want proof? Few people are more famous -- and less employable -- than Paris Hilton. Yet, paid gigs keep falling into her lap. This defies all reason, of course, until you look at the numbers. If 100 million people know who you are and what you do, and 99.9999% of them don't want to hire you, that still leaves 100 potential employ...

Here's an odd challenge that could help you find a job faster...What if I offered you $1 million to drive a car from Cape Town, South Africa to Miami, Florida?You'd say it can't be done, right? I mean, look at any map -- Cape Town and Miami are separated by the Atlantic Ocean.But, wait.If you drive north, through Egypt, Israel and Russia, across the frozen Bering Sea to Alaska (you'll have to go in winter), down through Can...

Want to get hired faster and get ahead on the job?If so, ponder this: some of the most amazing new ideas in history weren't new at all. They simply resulted when one observant person transplanted an old idea into a new context.Example: Velcro was invented in 1948, but it's really an ageless idea from nature -- the tiny hooks on cockleburr seeds -- put into a new context.Example: the first drive-through window opened at the...

Ever got your car stuck in the snow before? (If you're reading this in Minnesota, where I am, the default answer is, "You betcha!")If so, you know that a sure-fire way to get your car unstuck is to rock it back and forth, by shifting from drive to reverse again and again. By going in the opposite direction first, you can create momentum and propel your car forward, out of the snow.If your job search is stuck, why not try a...

If you've got friends, family (or both) and you're looking for a job, you're sitting on a treasure trove of employment tips and tricks. To gain access to them, all you have to do is ask.That's because, if the people you know are working, they must have said or done something right. Or else they wouldn't be working. So stop trying to reinvent the wheel and start emulating what's worked for others.Here are four questions to a...

"Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it, and spend it rather than invest it." So says business author and speaker, Jim Rohn.Whether you're looking for a new job or looking to get promoted in your current job, ask yourself this: What did you do with your time yesterday? Did you waste it, kill it, spend it, or invest it?If you're not happy with your answer, read on to learn four ways to invest your...

As a child, did you ever touch a hot stove or stick your finger in a light socket? If so, you likely never did so again, right? Pain is a powerful teacher. A poorly executed job search can be painful, too. And it can offer powerful lessons, if you know where to look. "Sally" from California is in pain from her job search, one you can learn a lot from, because she's making so many (correctable) mistakes. Here's her...

When you catch a cold, your first instinct is to hop in bed until you feel better. That's understandable and healthy.How about when you find yourself out of a job?Your first reaction to a job loss may be the same -- lie in bed until it blows over. Yet, unlike a cold, unemployment won't go away by itself.Instead, you can get hired faster by going against your instincts, according to John Challenger, CEO of the outplacement f...

Want to get hired faster? Try playing "Think and Tell."Specifically, you should figure out exactly what job you want and why you're qualified to do it. Then, tell your story to the right employers.Simple? Yes.Easy? No.That's because most people would rather do anything -- anything at all -- rather than think. But a little thinking will go a long way in your job search.Here's how to do it...Think about and decide on the job...

Think your job search is hopeless? Think again.Here's a case study that shows how one man, after a frustrating three-year search for work, suddenly got an interview for his "dream job," along with calls from other employers.If you can write English and talk on the phone, you can do this, too.Challenge: Jim from New Jersey was laid off from his job with a defense contractor in 2001. He writes: "I have been actively seeking t...