The Yellow Pages

What if you happen to work in a field where they seem to be few or no jobs advertised? This can happen with certain highly-specialised work areas and is often a source of great frustration for job-seekers.

Well, here's something you ought to try: Go to the Yellow Pages listings of firms that might be interested in your services and try ‘cold-calling'.

You should be warned that the success rate of such approaches is very small and rarely results in an immediate call for an interview. However many firms might ask you to fax them a copy of your resume to keep on file and, who knows, you might be the first person approached the next time there is a vacancy!

Advertise your skills

Here's an approach you might like to try if you are looking for a part-time job or if you want to work from home: Put a classified in your local newspaper.

(You can also try this approach if you're really desperate for full-time work, but we wouldn't advise it).

Many small or even mid-size companies often use the services of part-timers for jobs such as book-keeping or evening/weekend reception duties. If you feel you have skills that can be easily marketed, a classified advertisement might prove a worthwhile investment. A single ad would typically cost between $10 and $75, depending on the publication.