Road map out of the jobless Nowheresville

Many unemployed professionals are lost. They don't know which way to turn. They lack direction. They are stuck in neutral with the engine running.

Essentially, they spin their wheels and go nowhere.

For the unemployed professional, Nowheresville is not a pleasant place to be, but there is a way out. A roadmap does exist that can help lead them to a job.

To assist with their GPS and to map out a course of action, we've enlisted three local experts in the field of gaining employment.

Meet Sean McCaffrey, an employment coach (seanmccaffrey.com); Guy Farmer, a coach and trainer for professionals (myrelationshipguy.com); and Pieter Droog, branch manager of ProNet, a nonprofit that helps professionals network and reconnect to the workforce (pronetreno.com).

By following a few do's and don'ts, the unemployed professional can start moving in the right direction and, who knows, could find Somewheresville sooner than they think.

Don't do what everybody else is doing.

Going online and applying for every job in sight is about as productive as standing on the corner with a cardboard sign that says, "Needs work."

"The big mistake is they try to mold themselves into a job description and they won't be a good fit," McCaffrey said.

What's more, less than 5 percent of jobs are filled by online job boards, according to one study McCaffrey found. And since everybody is doing the same thing, the competition is enormous.

"The old standard of looking for ads and sending in resumes is a methodology that's just not working," Droog said.

To avoid getting hundreds of applicants, many employers don't advertise an opening but simply ask their employees if they know of somebody to fill the position, Droog said.

"So in today's market, it really comes down to networking to get the job leads and the hidden market," Droog said.

Do start networking and get LinkedIn.

Networking means attending organizational meetings and social mixers in the field of your expertise, getting yourself known within that community.

It also means starting a LinkedIn profile, detailing your achievements, qualifications and recommendations. Surveys show that as many as 80 percent of HR and hiring managers use LinkedIn to find new employees. If you're not on LinkedIn, you're missing a huge networking opportunity.

"Networking really is, for this market, the most important thing you can do," Droog said.

Do be strategic about networking.

Whatever your career, there is a group specific to that niche. McCaffrey said to be proactive and get involved in those groups.

"They'll have a pulse of the job trends and the opportunities in the community, and know what education you need and what's missing on your resume," McCaffrey said. "They'll give you more information on specific positions."

Don't volunteer just for the sake of volunteering.

If you are going to volunteer with a service group to help you network, make sure it is something you really want to be involved in.

"You want to maximize your effectiveness and if all you're doing is volunteering for causes you don't believe in, it probably won't be an effective networking opportunity," McCaffrey said. "You've got to be passionate about it."

Do identify what you want to do and be specific.

Take inventory of your skills, passions, interests and accomplishments, and determine what direction you want to go, McCaffrey said. Identify three or four niches in the marketplace and concentrate on pursuing those. Don't be too general in your search.

Don't become inactive; do something.

Farmer suggested actually scheduling time off from the job search.

"This job-hunting monster can consume you and if you're spending every waking moment fixated on a job hunt, you have nothing to balance it," Farmer said. "People need to say I'm going to take a walk with my wife or significant other or play with the kids. I always recommend something that doesn't cost money. Don't place an extra financial burden on yourself."

Suggestions are plentiful: Fishing, hiking, biking, walking and bird watching among them.

Do schedule interviews often.

Informational interviews, that is. Seek out the leaders of your industry and ask to meet with them.

McCaffrey said you might get a mentor out of it, along with more information about the job you are seeking.

"It might not lead to a job today, but you're planting seeds for the future in building a relationship and learning more about the position you're interested in pursuing, adding to your skill sets and getting people on your side that can help you," McCaffrey said.

Once you establish a relationship, follow through, Farmer added.

"Make sure you send a thank you," Farmer said. "Also, let them know what you're doing. Send out an occasional message to get together with them again. Send an article in their profession without pestering them. It's more about establishing the relationship first than the selling (of yourself)."

Do approach each day positively.

If you get out of bed in the morning and bemoan the poor economy, lack of jobs and the next interview to nowhere, the results will be predictable, Farmer said.

"People who focus on the things they have control over tend to get better results," he said. "For example, they wake up and get out of bed and say 'I'm going to make three new contacts today. When I talk to those contacts, I'm going to remain positive. I'm going to keep it lively and professional. I'm going to ask to meet because I'm genuinely interested in what they do. I'm going to go to a networking event.'

"If you do those sorts of things, your day goes very differently. If you focus on the things that block you, you get stuck there whereas if you focus on the possibilities, they're literally endless.

"Every day is full of possibilities. It's the act of actually doing stuff that gets you out of depression...and builds up your self-esteem."

David Strege is a freelance writer and a volunteer at ProNet Reno. Contact him at 787-7226, www.linkedin.com/in/davidstrege or http://freelancewriter.weebly.com