How would you like to land a new job in two weeks or less?

You can if you abandon the old-fashioned job search methods and jump on board the fast-paced 21st Century high-speed success engine called “alternative strategies.”

Today there are two job marketplaces. One is the old-fashioned traditional marketplace of resumes, classified ads, website postings, agencies and recruiters, interviews and rejection letters.

The other is the hot fast-track job search marketplace of career partners, contact banks, automated interviews, professional introductions, interactive dialogs, on-the-spot employment creation and savvy negotiations.

Let me show you what I mean.

In a traditional job search, you start by putting together a resume. Your resume follows a prescribed format that includes an objective statement and your job history in a reverse chronological order. You add educational and personal data.

You take a look in the Sunday paper and comb through job openings and you check out some online job sites. You send out a few resumes and/or post them on some popular websites.

Maybe you approach a couple agencies or recruiters. If all goes well you get called in for an interview, maybe two, maybe none. The procedure is pretty straightforward.

The job you’re applying for is clear-cut, too. The interviewer knows what’s desirable in a candidate. At the interview you dress well, behave pleasantly, and do your best to answer the questions.

If there is a match between your background and the employer’s needs you may advance to the next level in the decision-making process. Maybe you’re called back, maybe not. If not, you may get a “thanks-but-no-thanks” letter. But, then, there’s always the hope for another interview somewhere.

That was then. The dynamics of the 21st Century have changed everything.

OK. You can still find classified openings in the newspaper. There are still lots of agencies and recruiters at work, as well. But the marketplace has shifted dramatically.

Expectations of both employers and job-seekers have moved in decidedly new directions. For example, employers expect job-seekers to know and understand corporate goals. They want prospects to demonstrate how they can contribute.

On the other hand, job opportunities are being created on the spot and the candidate can be part of the creation process. Above-average deals are the products of above average negotiations where “dollars” is only one part of the total package.

Most importantly, if you want to excel, if you want a superior job with more money, if you want to select your next job rather than settle for it, you must understand and embrace the dynamics of today’s job marketplace.

Image taken on 2009-04-16 09:52:03. Image Source. (Used with permission)