If you had to pick a time to look for a job, you wouldn’t pick the holiday season in a down economy when the press tells us that no one—not even Starbucks—is hiring. But it’s an unfortunate fact that many of you out there—my daughter for one—are feeling the effects of the economic situation—companies closing and downsizing right and left. Everybody is retrenching—waiting it out to see what happens before making hiring decisions. That’s what business owners do when they face uncertainty. So here you sit on December 23 knowing that until January 5 at the earliest no one is going to pay attention to that resume you sent them. That’s a fact you can’t change. BUT, what you CAN change is your approach to the situation. This is really an opportunity in the making if you look at it from an entrepreneurial perspective (no, I haven’t started early on the rum-filled egg nog—I’m serious!). After all, you now have 12 days to plan your marketing and execution strategies and then hit the ground running when people return from the holidays. What should you focus on?  Let’s start with two things.

• Think of yourself as a product that has to be sold to a customer somewhere. What pain or problem can you solve with the skills and talents you have? What kinds of companies need those skills? Think broadly. Your most important task is to provide a solution to someone who needs it. Companies always hire when they have needs that their current employees can’t meet. Check out www.marketingprofs.com for terrific marketing advice that you can apply to yourself.

• Let everyone in your network know what skills you have and ask them to keep their eyes open for opportunities. I do that for my students—opportunities are always coming across my desk and when one does, I immediately look at my network to see who has the right skills so I can make that connection for them.