In fact, you have more control over your career circumstances than you might think. We’ve developed 16 specific strategies and tactics that consistently generate powerful results for job seekers, even when it seems that “no one’s hiring.”

1. Network, network, network. Continually increase your level of networking and keep expanding your contact database. Reach out to reestablish and nourish business and personal relationships. Offer to help others, even if they’re not in a position to help you (because what goes around comes around).

2. Seek help. Get career support from a professional. A qualified career coach can better prepare you to land your next position. If career coaching is unaffordable for you, take advantage of the support provided by government programs, nonprofit agencies, job search groups, college/alumni career centers, or faith-based missions for the unemployed and underemployed.

3. Read career books and attend career seminars. Take advantage of learning opportunities to improve your job search and career management skills.

Keeping informed of business trends will help you gain greater knowledge of the industries and careers that are poised for future growth. Stay plugged into the market and your field to ensure that you’ll be current, and maintain your intellectual capital.

4. Leverage technology. Utilize Web sites and online services to connect with your industry and to build greater visibility. Create a career website, using tools like VisualCV (www.visualcv.com) and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). Keep in touch with colleagues consistently.

In addition to leveraging career portals and job boards, learn how to use online tools like blogs, wikis, and virtual job fairs. Focus on optimizing your online identity.

5. Differentiate yourself. Position yourself as an expert by writing articles, giving presentations, or teaching a class. Get involved in professional organizations, and assume leadership roles there. Do something noteworthy in your community that will garner special recognition and build your positive reputation. Focus on what makes you special, and build your brand within your industry.

6. Use your time off wisely. Pursue professional development by participating in classes, seminars, certifications, and industry conferences. Take advantage of free and low-cost programs to enhance your credentials.

Explore more of your world to generate new ideas. Do the important things that you never had time to do when you were working full-time. Enjoy the feeling of still being productive and making a contribution.

7. Pursue a temporary, part-time, or contract position. Volunteer, provide pro bono work, take on a consulting contract, or complete an internship or apprenticeship. This tactic is especially useful for those who wish to pursue a career in a different industry.

8. Act with speed and urgency. One way for you to get an edge over other candidates is to demonstrate that you’re more serious and more determined than the competition. Show up earlier. Arrive more prepared.

9. Take care of yourself. Eat well, exercise, and get plenty of rest. You’ll need to be healthy and vital to maintain the pace of an active job search campaign. Stay in close touch with friends and family. Keep up with your interests, hobbies, and activities. Follow your normal routines, even as you work hard on getting the job you want. Maintain balance in your life, and don’t let the job search become all-consuming.

10. Be flexible and adaptable. Consider shifting industries and/or being geographically mobile to open up more career possibilities, even if you would not ordinarily choose these options. Rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity, offer your skills to other industries and lend your experience to different positions.

Do whatever you need to do (within reason) to keep your career intact and earn a living. But NEVER lose sight of your career direction and long-term career goals!

11. Improve and enhance all of the documents in your career portfolio. Now is the time to expand your career portfolio far beyond just the resume. You’ll need a one-page professional biography, a collection of powerful accomplishment stories, a series of compelling cover letters, a page of professional references, a list of targeted employers, a 30-second commercial (elevator speech), and other items. Craft a unified package that consistently conveys a highly professional image of yourself.

12. Practice interviewing and negotiation skills. In an ideal world, you would have been practicing your interviewing and negotiation skills while you were fully employed, rather than waiting for a career crisis to arise.

Solicit the help of a partner to role-play with you, and switch roles as needed with the questions and answers. Practice with an audio-recording device, and listen to yourself as you continually improve your performance.

13. Be patient, but persistent. There is not much a candidate can do to rush things, so you’ll need to be patient. However, this does not mean you should sit by the phone waiting for the employer to contact you. You’ll want to pursue two basic strategies:

(1) Be persistent, but don’t be a pest, as you follow up consistently on every opportunity; and

(2) Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Instead, keep moving forward as you explore every appropriate opening you can find. One benefit of pursuing multiple positions is that if you don’t get an offer, or if an employer never gets back to you, you won’t feel crushed.

14. Focus on tangible results and practical solutions. The primary question in the employer’s mind will be, “What can you do for me – now?” This means that you should zero in and quickly identify the employer’s most pressing needs and challenges – and then explain exactly how your relevant accomplishments will allow you to successfully address those issues in the short term.

15. Be kind to yourself. Your experience of being out of work or looking for a new job will be determined by how you look at it. You have a choice. You can beat yourself up, feel like a loser, and be riddled with guilt and shame. Or, you can look at your situation in a more positive way.

Forgive yourself, forgive your ex-employer, and forgive the world. Move on toward a better career future.

16. Watch your attitude. Avoid the gloom and doom messages disseminated by the media, and stay away from any negative people in your life who bring you down. Maintain a positive attitude, and never state anything negative or act desperate.

Spend some time each day focusing on and recalibrating your internal attitude. Even if you’re out of a job, you probably have many other wonderful things in your life, so remember to be grateful.

Conducting a successful job search campaign takes energy, discipline, and career support. Despite the pressures you may face in today’s employment market, you must stay focused on your goals and search smart.