There is a better way to make money. I’m not telling you to quit your job and become an anarchist. And I am not saying you’re stupid because you have a job. I have a job. So you ask, what did you mean?

A job is a way to earn money. It’s how most people earn money. It’s what I do today. It just isn’t the best way to earn money. I wish I would have known this twenty-five years ago. I wish my parents had taught me this, I wish the schools had taught me this. In a minute, I’ll share the secret with you.

I’ve had one job or another for 24 years. I’ve made all my money working for someone else.

I’ve had a job…

• Picking Pumpkins
• Peeling Shrimp – worst thing ever!
• Driving a Truck
• Maintaining Networks
• Developing Software
• Managing Customer Service

Stay ahead of your competition with these job search tips.

Most of us are painfully aware that good jobs are hard to come by in today's economy. With unemployment skyrocketing and companies using downsizing as their primary expense reduction strategy, this trend is likely to be with us for a while.

If you find yourself among the ranks of the unemployed, how do you increase your chances of landing successfully? Blasting your resume to hundreds of recruiters and replying to internet ads is not the answer. While these strategies have a place in your search, a more targeted approach, as we suggest with these job search tips, is likely to yield better results.

Getting Started

First, take a hard look at your background. Isolate what you're really good at. Consider both the industry you work in and your most recent job function. Assess the size of the companies you've worked for most recently. Use these thoughts to help set your focus on the kinds of jobs you should apply for.

Sometimes it's really hard to come up with good resume ideas. Most of us don't where to begin.

Here are put together a point by point roadmap to help get you thinking in the right direction. Your resume is a good opportunity to showcase what you've done. Don't be shy! Let's get started.

Resume Ideas

1. Make a chronological list of every company you've worked for, including your dates of employment. Note where they're located.
2. Make a list of every school you've attended (post high school) and degree conferred. Add to this list any professional training you've received (e.g. sales training courses).
3. Write a brief description for each of your employers. For example:

A $500 million manufacturer of computer peripherals, with operations in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Whenever I want to watch my students' jaws drop down to their desks, all I have to do is tell them that the "safest" attire for women to wear on a job interview is a skirted suit and that pantsuits -- while almost universally acceptable in the workplace -- are still somewhat risky attire for interviewing.

My students can't believe it. They are stunned that such a sexist double-standard could still exist in the business world. They are incredulous that they should be expected to wear attire that is so clearly gender-specific.

I can't blame them. I can't disagree with any of their protests. All I can do is prepare them for reality: That they might be perceived as less than professional and even lose a job offer if they wear a pantsuit to an interview instead of a skirtsuit. And that they can rarely go wrong by reaching for the highest standard of traditional dress -- especially in such conservative fields as banking, investments, and law.

Some of my female students adopt the position that they wouldn't want to work for an employer who would fail to hire them just for wearing a pantsuit. And that's a perfectly valid stance. If you’re trying to find an employer that’s a good fit with your style, the acceptability of pantsuits can be a good litmus test. If your goal is to get a job offer, however, you may want to take the more cautious skirtsuit route.

In 2009, the job market will be full of contrasts: some industries will be eviscerated while others face shortages of workers. The good news is that despite the recession, there are still real jobs to be had. The bad news is that you may have to change fields to find one.

The trick to job hunting in 2009 will be to figure out how your skill-set can translate across industries, says Elaine Varelas, a managing partner at Boston-based outplacement firm Keystone Partners, so that you're not confined to searching one sector of the economy. "People are frustrated because it's taking them a while to assess the job market," she says. "They'll have to figure out other things they can Ð and want Ð to do." Successful job-seekers will be the ones who can figure out how to take skills learned in one kind of job and translate them into assets in others.

Here are the top five areas where work can be found in 2009:

1) Nursing & Medical Services

Perhaps the best bet in 2009: Becoming a registered nurse or medical technician. With over 50,000 new nursing jobs to be created this year alone, med techs and nurses will have their pick of jobs and salaries, the latter averaging about $57,000 per year.

Social services jobs will see a boom too, as a swelling number of retirees check-in for medical care, says the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. But not all health care jobs will see equal growth. "The growth here will be more about the services and delivery people--nurses and technicians--than administrators," Varelas explains. "Hourly workers interested in changing roles should get into any role that services the elderly," she suggests.