Today’s job market is tough. Seemingly every day, another company announces another round of layoffs. In an environment like this, you need to have a well thought out plan when searching for a job.

Define your target job
Think broadly. Do not restrict your thinking to your most recent job or even job titles you have held in the past. What does your prior experience qualify you to do? What do you enjoy doing? What kind of job environment do you prefer?

Network
It is estimated that 70% of all jobs are found through networking. Make sure you are making the most of the people you know—coworkers, friends, professional contacts, etc. If you are not already using LinkedIn, join it, and start adding your contacts. This will make it easy for you to track where people in your network are working now and how to contact them. Start a blog related to your industry. Comment on other people’s blogs related to your industry or target job function. This is a great way to start a conversation with someone who may be well-connected in your industry. Your chances of getting a job are much improved if you are personally recommended for it by an insider.

Go direct
You need to be proactive and think beyond online job search engines. Many jobs are not posted to online job sites, so you should visit the websites of your target companies and search for jobs with them directly. For example, Bank of America has 103 jobs that were posted to its site in the last two days (and so does BankSpider.com’s job search tool, which surveys all of the jobs for selected banks). CareerBuilder.com has only 5 Bank of America jobs posted in the last two days, while Monster.com and HotJobs.com have zero.

Submit your resume even if they do not currently have a job that meets your requirements available. Many companies will alert you if a job becomes available later that appears to be a good match and invite you to apply.

Browse the help wanted ads
Think classified ads are dead? Think again. Local and regional employers don’t always post on the major job sites or even on their own website. Hard as it is to believe, many small companies do not even have a website. Instead, they will advertise in their local newspaper to find local applicants for their job openings.

Track everything
Whenever you apply for a job, keep a copy of the job description. Make a spreadsheet and track the date you applied, job title, and company. Make a note if you receive an interview. Knowing how many jobs you have applied for and what percent are yielding an interview will help give you a handle on what it is going to take to find a job. Keep a log of people you have contacted and what the results were.

Freshen up your skills
Do many of the jobs you’re applying for require proficiency with certain software? Make sure you’re familiar with it, and if you aren’t, take a class. If certification is desired in your industry, get it. Make sure these skills are listed on your resume.

Don’t give an employer a reason to pass you over. Many employers search their databases for resumes that meet certain criteria. Recruiters often have a checklist of skills that are required or desired for the position. Craft your resume to your best advantage so that it will help you get that interview.

Try part-time or freelance work
Part-time work can often lead to full-time employment. Part-time or freelance work will also improve your skills, give you a source of income to help you ride out tough times, and help you keep building your resume and your network. Employers will tend to be extra careful about increasing their expenses by adding additional full-time positions in a bad economy, so it pays to be flexible.

Be patient and tenacious
Finding a job takes time. It could take many months. Be patient and try not to stress yourself out. Work hard on your job search and it will eventually pay off. Good luck!

Recent resources from the blogosphere
Charlotte Cusumano wrote about how to get out of a job search rut. Career Goddess recently posted some job search tips. Chrisblogging.com has a post on “Is everybody becoming a freelance writer?“