"When you had a job, you had a routine," says DeBettignies. "You woke at a certain time, left for work at a certain time. Keep a routine that has you doing your job search and getting out of the house." Details are important. Track every resume submittal, phone call, contact made. Know who you have sent a resume to and when so you can follow up. Keep this information by the phone. If a call comes in, you want to know what resume was sent to this company and for what position.

Look outside your contacts and try new methods as well, such as Joining social/professional networking sites, using the newspaper, searching the internet, joining a job club, contacting nonprofit agencies and attending business or networking event. Don't forget the people in your world such as accountants, real estate agents, health club members or hairdressers. These people interface with many others on a daily basis. They're likely to have a wide network of their own - be sure to tap them as you reach out.

Article abridged from Star Tribune, and reprinted from TheCareerNews.com. Get the latest breaking News, Tips and Tools for your job search, Free!