Know what positions are available at companies you want to work for by checking their websites or speaking to current employees. Use LinkedIn to connect with professionals at target companies. Tailor your resume by reviewing samples and highlighting experiences and skills relevant to the job. Be creative using social media like Twitter to find and contact people at companies. Consider different types of jobs and use multiple tailored resumes to increase your chances of getting interviews. Offer flexible pay packages to startups to increase your appeal as a candidate.

1. 7 tips for job hunting in a tougher market

2. 1. Know what positions are available at a company - Before you can try to work for a company, you need to figure out what job openings the company has. Once you know this you can focus your energy on trying to get that specific job. You can look on a company website to see what job openings a company has. However, the best strategy would be to speak to someone who works at the company as often times companies don't update their websites with every potential and available job opening.

3. 2. Use LinkedIn and use it well - LinkedIn is widely recognized as the best social network for career professionals. LinkedIn can be utilized as a great resource to connect with people at a company that you are interested in working for. The key on LinkedIn is to compile as many direct connections to other professionals that you can. More direct connections will convert into more secondary connections.

4. 3. Take a look at resume samples - Before finalizing your resume, it is wise to take a look at resume samples. By reviewing other resumes, you can get ideas for ways to improve the content and look and feel of your resume. Looking at resume samples often helps you to identify specific areas where you can improve your expertise or enhance the way you present yourself to potential employers.

5. 4. Be creative about how you use Twitter - You can utilize Twitter to look for jobs in several ways, one of the most creative ways is to use Twitter to locate and contact someone at a given company. You can use Twellow to search Twitter profiles. Search for the company that you want to work for - and you may find someone who has a profile that says, Director of Biz Dev for company Now that you found that person, you can follow them on Twitter hoping that they follow you back so that you can DM them.Or you can mention them in the hopes they will then get in touch with you. Also, sometimes people include their email address in their profile so you can contact them that way. Either way, Twitter offers a creative way to develop a contact, as the person may appreciate your hard work and creativity in getting in touch with them.

6. 5. Consider different types of jobs - You don't want to have tunnel vision and only look for one type of job. Especially with the unemployment rate being what it is - you have to think about a few different types of job titles to consider. When you have a few different areas you are considering - it will open up a wide range of options for yourself and you'll end up getting more interviews and call-backs. And remember, each interview is an opportunity to not only get a job but also to develop key contacts within an organization.

7. 6. Use multiple resumes - Take advantage of resume templates which you can then fill your information into. Take advantage of these to create multiple resumes for different types of jobs. The area where your resumes will differentiate themselves are on the objective, resume structure, and job detail for a specific job that you had. The structure of the resume should be one which best highlights your accomplishments. The objective should target directly to the type of job you are applying for. The job detail which explains what you accomplished in past jobs should highlight the skills and experiences that the job you are applying for is seeking.

8. 7. Consider different pay packages - Especially when applying to a startup or small company, consider offering and/or accepting different pay packages. If you offer a potential employer to pay you based on commission or based on some other type of performance measurement, the employer may be more likely to hire you as it will be less of a risk for them. And for you, it could offer a bigger reward as if you succeed in the job you could end up making more money for yourself.

9. Find more tips and resources at www.get-a-job-now.net