It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”

That’s a quote from A Tale of Two Cities, but it sounds sort of like today’s job market, doesn’t it?

The economy is either poised on the verge of recovery, or is in recovery, or has already recovered, depending on whom you wish to believe. Industries are consolidating, old technologies are disappearing, jobs are moving offshore, and the upcoming Central American Free Trade Act (CAFTA) will only increase that “great sucking sound” of jobs headed out of the country. We are either in danger of losing ground to a growing global market, or are losing ground now, or have already lost lots of ground, depending on whom you wish to believe.

The state of the job market is largely irrelevant. Conventional wisdom has it that to get a good job you need to put together a good resume, and then network and answer ads until you find a company with a vacancy that that you can fit into.

Conventional wisdom is wrong.

Getting the right job isn’t a matter of putting together a resume, answering Internet and newspaper ads, and trying to get other people to do your search for you. People hate job-hunting so much that they’ll give up responsibility for their job search to anyone who looks like they might take it! In fact, no one else will do your search for you. Headhunters won’t. They are working for the client companies that pay them. Your friends won’t. You’re asking them to sponsor you for a job- to put their reputation on the line for you.

If you’re depending on newspaper ads you should know that you’re competing with dozens to hundreds of other people for the same job, which is rarely a perfect fit. And you’re sending your resume to the very people- human resources- who are trying to keep you out! In fact, fewer than 15% of people get a job through the newspaper.

If you think the newspaper is serious competition, wait until you try the Internet! The Internet is the only place you can defy gravity. Jobs go up on the Internet, but they very rarely come down. The job you’re hoping so desperately to get may well have been filled days, weeks, or months ago. And you’re probably familiar with the responses you get on the Internet. You should know that fewer than 5% of job hunters find a job on the Internet.

At Career Management of Virginia, we are experts on the rules, which — for most people — is the knowledge that they don’t even know is out there. If you know you’re better than the results you’re getting in your job search, go to our free personal evaluation, or simply email us your resume today at info@cmvacareers.com.