Don’t restrict the list to employers who you haven’t seen job advertisements for. If during your search you have seen employers offering roles similar to the ones you’re looking for, add them. They may have something suitable, it’s worth a try.

Using a template CV and covering letter like the ones we mentioned in this series. It doesn’t take much to tailor each one to a specific employer and get them ready for sending. A PC and printer will have these done in no time, an envelope later, you have a possibility in your hand.

Nobody is going to pretend that finding work in the current climate is easy. It isn’t. But what we want to convince you of is that there is always a possibility. By making an effort, using your imagination and a little perseverance you stand a much better chance of finding work. At the very least, it will put you above the majority of others on recruiters radar.

It may sound idealistic, but all this effort should be viewed as potential rather than legwork. Each letter and CV you post is an opportunity, not wasted minutes. Approach it with this in mind and it will shine through in your writing, and at any interviews.

Perseverance, positive attitude, professionalism and tenacity are all qualities employers look for. All of which are displayed when you expend effort sending speculative applications. Think of it like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it. The more CVs you get out there, the more chance you have of being noticed.

If money is an issue, don’t post them, deliver them by hand. If you’re the shy type, do it in the evening or at the weekend through the letterbox. Just remember to put “by hand” on the envelope. Either way, every letter you deliver increases the chances of your getting a job.

Speculative job applications are worth the effort if you have a computer to do the work. If you’re out of work and have the time, even writing them by hand is worth the effort.

Finding work is a numbers game. The more exposure you get, the more chance you have of being noticed. Sending these speculative letters alongside your other efforts only increases your chances of being snapped up by somebody.

Here are some examples of people who took their fates into their own hands and got themselves noticed.

First up is a video game enthusiast who got himself noticed by one of the largest video game companies in the world. He created a new game from editing tools from Starcraft 2 in his bedroom. The game is owned by Blizzard Entertainment, which is one of the best known names in gaming.

His game was so good, that it got picked up by other enthusiasts and spread over the internet. Blizzard were so impressed that they have offered to meet him to discuss his working with them on game development.

A girl in Swindon, UK was so fed up with being unemployed that she walked around the town centre with a billboard asking for work. She also included her mobile phone number as well as other details.

After walking round for a couple of hours she had calls from agencies, employers, and even the Employment Minister for England called her after she was featured on the news.

Another woman from Birmingham used to run a cake business that went bankrupt. She couldn’t get work so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She baked dozens of cupcakes, decorated them and put her name and phone number on the bottom of the case.

She then camped outside the Guildhall when they were having business conferences and gave the cakes out for free. Shortly afterwards, she was recruited into a commercial catering company and given a full-time job.

A recent cooking school graduate was so fed up with not working that he decided to create his own website featuring cooking techniques and recipes. The content was of such a high quality that it soon gained a following and was bought by a large online publishing company.

Not only did that graduate now have money, the company offered him the job of maintaining the content on it. So he was bought out and given a job in one go.

The purpose of this article isn’t to tell you what to do. It’s more to let you know that while the traditional ways of looking for work are still king, they aren’t the only way to do it. If you have a marketable skill that can help in any way, use it.

By using a little imagination and doing something to set yourself apart from the crowd, it’s entirely possible that good things will come of it. If looking for work is getting you down, it’s well worth thinking about alternative ways of finding it.

Always address the letter to someone. If a name wasn’t provided, get one. Email or telephone the agency, or company. It’s a small point, but an extremely important one.

Keep the letter concise. It should be around 300-400 words, or a single side of A4 paper. It should be relatively formal, without being too stiff and offer the proper salutation and should be signed properly. Use positive language and try to impart enthusiasm in what you write. It may take a bit of practice, but is well worth the effort.

Paragraph one should be an introduction. First off, why you’re writing to them. That would something like, “I’m writing in response to the advertisement in the Evening News for the position of Technical Author.” Next, who you are. A line or two about who you are and why you’re applying for the role. The round off by referring to your enclosed CV.

The second paragraph is where you tell the reader why you want the job. First off recognise the company and show you know what they do. Then refer to the role and highlight why you like the look of the role. Finally, why you want to work or continue to work in that particular industry.

The third paragraph is the convincer. This is where you tell the employer why they should consider you for the role. Look at the job description and pick out the main requirements. Address them all and be prepared to offer evidence. Mention specific examples of experience and seek to answer each requirement in turn.

The last section of the covering letter should be the conclusion. Cover any practical issues such as availability for interview. End positively but succinctly. Thank the person for reading and considering your application and that you look forward to hearing from them.

It can be tempting to embellish, exaggerate or outright lie on an application letter. Don’t, you may get caught out and lose a great opportunity. There is a big difference between using positive spin and lying. Chances are you will be asked to demonstrate your skills, so be prepared to back your words with action.

Finally, when complete, leave the letter overnight and edit the next day. Cut anything that isn’t relevant, check spelling and grammar. You can create a covering letter template, as long as you take great care to tailor each one to the specific role being applied for. That saves time in the long run, as long as you’re careful.

Once you’re happy with the letter, send it. Keep the letter filed somewhere and don’t be afraid to follow it up in a few days.

There are some points to consider when planning one though, and we’re going to cover some here. If you haven’t made a home movie before, these will make the difference between success and failure.

Consider the picture. To make an effective video CV, the picture needs to be calm and assuring. That means making the backdrop as neutral as possible. People don’t want to see your bedroom, they want to see you. So sit in front of a plain wall or backdrop when making it.

Consider ambient noise. Close the windows, turn off the TV, muzzle the dog and get rid of the kids. The only sound a viewer wants to hear is you. That also means tuning the microphone and filtering out anything that doesn’t add to the production.

Wear something conservative. You don’t have to wear a suit, this isn’t an interview. Wear something neutral and presentable. It also needs to be comfortable, you will see when you watch it back that we show a lot in our body language.

Talking of body language, be mindful of yours on camera. Many of us gesticulate a lot when we talk. Avoid it when on camera as it quickly becomes distracting. Keep as still as possible without looking wooden. It pays to practice this a lot before making the “live” video CV.

The popularity of the video CV is because it allows you to show off your personality. Make it interesting but relevant, involving but not irritating. Cover everything a traditional CV would, but add a little flavour to it. Display positivity, professionalism and a “can-do” attitude. They all come across well on video, so make the most of them.

It’s also an opportunity to answer common interview questions. This is an added bonus. It’s a chance to answer the most popular, but important questions employers ask at a first interview. Can you do the job? Can you cope with pressure? Do you work well with others? Are you reliable? Can you step up when you need to, and so on. Collect a list of the most popular and relevant interview questions to your industry and answer them during the video.

The main tip for making a video CV is to practice it, a lot. Then practice again. The more polished your performance, the better the end result. The better the end result, the more chance you have of getting a job.

While Word can be a bit bland, agencies certainly prefer to receive CVs in .doc format. They don’t like PDF because they can’t copy and paste properly to add you to their system, and remove your contact details before they pass it to the employer. If you want to be taken seriously, follow the rules.

That means keep to standard fonts, at the standard size, and left justify everything. Keep the layout as close as possible to what we have discussed before. That way everything should be where the reader expects it to be. If you have mere seconds to capture a reader’s attention, you don’t want them to waste any searching for the information.

Bold titles or headers to make them stand out. It might be tempting to break the mould or to use creativity to stand out, but it will likely backfire. When you have a draft of the document finished, leave it overnight before checking it.

This is an old writers trick that is used widely. It’s amazing what a sleep can do to change perspective and to clear the mind. It’s quite likely that you will revisit the document and cut swathes out, wondering what on earth you were thinking putting that in there. While it means more work, it means a better finished article.

There is an old adage that editors use, “cut, then cut again.” That means if it can be cut without losing meaning, get rid of it. If it isn’t relevant or doesn’t add value, cut it. You want a lean document, where every word promotes you and what you can do. You have a limited space within which to do that, do every word has to count.

The last, and probably most important point in this whole article is, check your spelling and grammar. Don’t depend on spellcheckers, do it properly. If you aren’t sure, get someone to do it for you. Do not, ever, send a CV with spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. The only place that CV will go is in the bin.

This is the first time the reader will have heard of you, and that single document has to convince them you’re worth looking into. That makes it such an important document that is absolutely must be done to the best of your ability.

It’s now an employer’s market, so that is who the agencies are concentrating their efforts on. That isn’t to say that applicants are being ignored completely. The vacancies have to be filled somehow. It’s just that with several people all vying for the same role, the agency can afford to be choosy.

Knowing this gives you the edge when looking for work. Appreciating that agencies are busy and are only looking for that “perfect fit” can be used to your advantage. It’s relatively easy to modify your approach to align with an agency and get them to view you favourably.

First up is appearance. That’s physical, CV, and phone manner. If you visit an agency, be smartly dressed, or at least presentable. Your CV must be of a high quality, clear, and to the point. When answering the phone, you must be polite and courteous, at least until you know who it is.

Agencies simply won’t risk their client coming up against someone who won’t make them look good. Being one in a sea of applicants means you have to take extra steps to make sure the agency picks you.

By only applying for roles you could do easily, or are ideal for, you tell them you are sensible and considered. By applying properly, you tell them you’re serious about finding a role. By answering emails and phone professionally, it tells them you’re mature and won’t make them look bad.

As much as they want to fill the vacancy, they also want a standard of candidate that makes them look good. Acting in any way that makes a recruitment agency look bad will get you dropped like a hot potato. They cannot afford to send a client unsuitable candidates, just in case they lose the account.

The stakes are high and the agencies are under as much pressure as you. Appreciating this perspective, and working with it makes you a much better candidate than many others that walk in off the street. Anything that puts you above the masses or makes you shine will get you a job.

An agency is much more likely to take a risk on you if they think you will still make them look good. That means, if you come across as a high quality candidate they may put you forward for similar jobs too.

Finding work is as much about your approach as it is about your ability to do the job. Address both these needs and you shouldn’t be out of work for long.

The ideal CV should be no more than 2 pages of A4. It should be brief but descriptive. Bullet points are helpful because they are easy to read and digest. Just add enough detail to address the needs of the job and leave the rest to the interview.

A personal statement is an option, but there is no hard and fast rule. If you do use one, keep it professional, concise and on-topic. After that comes the meat of the document, the work experience.

Your experience should be listed in reverse chronological order. Each description should be vary in length with the most information for the recent roles, filtering off to a line or two about older ones.

There is also a case for having a skills matrix as the first item, but opinion is divided. This is a small table that highlight specific skills for an industry. Such as, Windows, Photoshop, SQL, Cisco and other specific skillsets. If an employer is looking for specific skills and they are displayed at the top of the CV, you have their attention. These are great for niche or technical roles, but not always relevant in general applications.

If you are a recent graduate or school leaver, you won’t necessarily have much to put down, so use the space to highlight projects, charity or volunteer work and anything else relevant to an employer or a particular role.

After your work experience should come qualifications. Again, in reverse chronological order. If you have been in work a while, professional qualifications come first, then academic or vocational ones.

The last part of a CV can include hobbies and interests. If there is room, this section is optional. It shows a little personality, but it needs to fit the kind of job you’re looking for. Keep it sensible too, an employer doesn’t really want to know you play computer games, unless you’re applying for a job in the industry.

When writing a CV, try to think of yourself as if you were a commodity. You want to sell yourself and convince the reader that they need you. So while telling employers what you have with regards experience and qualifications, you also need to tell them what you can do for them.

It’s as much about how you write it as what is on the page. Get that right and the rest is just detail.

First up is the CV. Many work histories, qualifications and aspirations can fit into more than one career niche. If you’re in this category, create a CV for each niche. Are you a journalist who once built servers for a living? Create a CV for writing and journalism and another for IT Support. That way you cover two potential markets with a targeted CV. By doing this, you don’t have to shoehorn a CV to fit a particular role. You will already have a polished one ready to go.

Once the CV is complete, create a profile of yourself for all the popular questions asked in applications, job sites, and at interview. When you join job hunting websites you can just copy and paste the information, saving time. It also has another benefit, of reinforcing in your mind the answers to those questions.

Next, if you use an email client that allows signatures, create three new ones and call them something descriptive. In the first signature, write a good covering letter for an application. In another, write a covering letter for a speculative application. In the third, write a follow-up letter chasing those applications.

Then, when it’s time to apply via email, you can just select a signature, tailor it to the specific role and send it. If you don’t hear back, it’s just a matter of creating a new mail, using the signature, adding the name and job title and sending it. A job that would have taken an hour is done in a matter of minutes.

The important thing to remember when using these signatures is to add elements to address the particular vacancy. It doesn’t have to be much, just enough to convince the recipient that a human sent it. Use their name if they provide it, refer to specific requirements in the advert, or a key word they use. It’s a small, but vital aspect of any application. If it looks like a spam type application, it will be treated as such.

If you’re internet savvy, and know how to use RSS, use it to your advantage. Sign up for RSS feeds from the job sites that have them using keywords. For example, use “job title + your hometown” as a filter. That way you only see relevant or useful vacancies instead of all of them. Use an RSS reader like Google Reader and you have all the latest vacancies sent to your PC or smartphone as they are posted!

In the case of an employer or recruiter, it’s less about who you are, and more about what you can do for them. In advertising there are “features and benefits” which are used to sell everything.

A feature is what the product can do, and the benefits are what the product can do for you. In the vast majority of cases, a buying decision is made on the strength of the benefits. That’s why highlighting them is so important.

Your features will be your experience and qualifications. Your benefits will be what you can do for the employer. While most interview questions will revolve around your features, you should try whenever possible to highlight your benefits. There are specific questions that allow you to do this.

For example: When asked about your previous role and the challenges it presented. Highlight the fact that you could be depended on, met the deadline, delivered on the promise, handled the situation, or coped with adversity. These are all benefits, all things that an employer will look for.

What you’re telling them is that you’re dependable, can cope in difficult situations, and will be a relatively low maintenance employee. These are just as important, if not more so, than qualifications. If you can convince a prospective employer that you will fit in, work hard, and be productive quickly, you’re half way there.

While many employers want someone qualified to do the job, what they really want is someone nice, honest, hard-working, and able to fit into the organisation. They want someone who can do the job, or learn it quickly. Someone who plays nicely with others, is reliable, won’t cause a fuss and who represents a good investment. If you can convince the interview of those things, you’re onto a winner.

Qualifications are important in some jobs more than others. If it was all about the certifications or the qualifications to do the job, then interviews wouldn’t be necessary. That can all be demonstrated on paper, and references from previous employers.

For the vast majority of vacancies out there, qualifications are nice to have, but not essential. Interviews are about seeing you in person, getting to know you and seeing how you cope under pressure. In other words, it’s about you, not your qualifications.

Selling yourself is all about knowing what the buyer needs, and tailoring your approach to address them. If you go into an interview knowing this, you can tailor your strategy accordingly. Applying for a job is a paper exercise, but shouldn’t be viewed that way. You are a commodity that needs to be sold, and you’re the salesman.

First up, if you haven’t joined Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and the like, do it now. Create a professional persona on each for use during your search. Then make a list of all the companies in your area who you would like to work for. We’re going people hunting, not job hunting.

Technorati alone has over 130 million blogs online at any one time. Chances are that someone at the company you want to work for will have one. Search Technorati, Facebook, and the other social networking sites for people who work for the companies you listed.

Once you find someone, connect to them through the chosen site. Don’t start stalking them, just friend them or connect for now. Also, don’t ask them for a job outright. If they are high up in the company they probably receive lots of these requests and ignore them. Find a common ground and use that as your in.

Get to know them, befriend them and only mention looking for work in passing. Imagine you’re trying to give your partner a hint for a Christmas present you really, really want. Once you know them a bit, brush past the subject a couple of times, then mention in passing. Only once you know them well you can address it directly. If nothing comes of it, at least you have made a friend.

The other way to use social media is through blogging. If you have the skills, can write decent English, and have something to say, start a blog. Writing regularly on your chosen subject is a great way of attracting attention and getting yourself noticed.

Many recruiters, especially in new media jobs look online at blogs, Twitter and so on to see who is making a noise. If this is something you could do, it’s an excellent way of spending your free time, practising your skills and network.

Owning and running an intelligent, professional blog will only enhance your personal brand. Just be careful, once you do get a job, check what the rules are about social media. Some employers take a very dim view of blogs and blogging.

If you prefer the more direct approach, consider advertising on Google or Facebook. Writing an attention grabbing advert is a great way to get noticed. It doesn’t cost much, but can potentially reach millions of people at a time.

Social media is all about possibilities. The more you explore it, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out. Even if you don’t get a job, you might meet some really cool people.