From:  Blackenterprise.com

Stories are told of job seekers who respond to countless online job postings with little or no response. Since the height of the economic downturn, many professionals have been unemployed for months–even years. As a result, many job seekers have become discouraged and have begun to lose faith in the American Dream–no matter their educational, economic and social status.

This is why it is so important for job seekers to diversify their approach to finding employment. Relying solely on online job boards as a method for finding work just might not cut it. Sites such as Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com are flooded daily with millions of candidates who respond to any and every posting with the hopes that just one employer will call them back. This heightens the competitiveness of an already challenging job market.

With that in mind, consider these alternative approaches to landing a job and redefining the future of your career:

Seek opportunities to work for small businesses. Most job seekers have the idea that big businesses and major corporations have the most jobs. As a result, they focus their energy on applying solely with large corporations, organizations and firms that are well-known for their experience and expertise in a particular industry. The truth is that the majority of layoffs during this recession have occurred in big business. Many corporations moved their labor force overseas and some just shut down components completely...