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A guy called me this morning. By his very foreign accent and start of his sales pitch, it was instantly evident that this was a boiler-room call to sell me, the typical retiree sucker, some kind of useless insurance or vacation plan. Or worse, if he or one of his kind of callers could get this vulnerable, addled-head senior to spell out my Social Security, credit card and/or bank account number, he could instantly rip me off. However, as obnoxious and crooked as the guy was, he was applying the old technique most successful job-hunters use.

By making 50 or 100 or 200 calls a day, statistics prove he is going to hit the jackpot with two, three or four people. Too often and sadly, it only takes one good hit a day to empty out an old pensioner's bank account of a couple thousand dollars, or sell the credit card number for other crooks to run up huge bills. In your own honest endeavor, if you're looking for a job, the more places you can plant your name, or better yet, your butt for an interview, the better your chances are of getting hired.

There's nothing strange, unless you consider hard work strange, to get on your computer and check out every possible job opportunity that looks like it is for you. The same applies to prospective jobs you see in the daily want ads, those posted on bulletin boards, lists provided by your school or college career advisor or wherever. Then, by snailmail, email, fax, phone or personal visit, let the potential employers know you're interested in the available jobs. And do it in any way, strange or otherwise, that will give you the best possible shot at it.

You don't have to be fancy with that first contact with long letters, ten-page resumes, insincere career goal statements, how you starred in the school production of "Naughty Marietta" and the rest. You know that 90 percent of those who get your message won't even bother to respond. Just list the important facts, and if you're sure you have some appropriate skills and experience that can be compared to the specific job offered, that should be the most important part of your message. Get it out and fast!

Of course, when I was a job seeker, I tried every trick I could think of to get my foot in the door ahead of all the other job seekers. One way was if I knew someone who was already working there. I'd call and ask for a recommendation, and if he/she could help me make an appointment before the general interviewing began. It worked once or twice early in my career, and is always worth

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