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Whether you're a recent graduate, looking to make a career change or the casualty of a corporate layoff, the process of finding a new job is one that is time-consuming, frustrating and humbling for most. People joke that "Searching for a job can become a full-time job in itself", but there is actually a lot of truth behind these words. If you're going to be realistic about your job search, your first step is realizing the huge time commitment involved if you want to be successful at finding a job that is the right for you.

Many novice job-hunters make the rookie mistake of limiting their search. Instead of joining just one or two job searching sites, enlist the services of at least ten or twelve. And while the Internet is an invaluable tool for job searching in our current job market, don't forget about the success of more old-fashioned options, such as your local newspaper or word of mouth. You've got to cover all of your bases and let your friends and family know what types of jobs you are looking for. Let their connections work in your favor.

Once you've found some promising options, get that resume out there (diligently spell-checked, properly formatted and customized appropriately please). These days, employers in most fields prefer that you email your resume, which couldn't make things much easier for you. Unlike in the past, when job hunting meant tons of money spent on gas or postage in order to get out just a few resumes, you can send out hundreds of resumes in just one day for little effort and no cost. And believe me, you're going to need to send out hundreds. If you find a job posting that sounds even remotely up your alley, send them your resume and cover letter. Try to avoid the pitfall of applying for jobs for which you don't meet the qualifications, as you will only be wasting your time (and the employer's time). However, if you're simply not sure if a particular job is what you are looking for, apply anyway and you can get a clearer picture at the interview.

Why apply for so many jobs if all you need is one? The painful answer is that unless you have tons of experience or work in an extremely specialized field, the current job market is brutal and the competition is fierce. For every one hundred resumes you send out you will probably only receive a call for an interview from ten employers at the very most. And at that point you will still typically have to make it through at least a second or third interview before you will finally receive a job

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