By Kevin Donlin

I get emails and phone calls almost every day from readers of this column. Some are positive. Some are negative. Some are … really negative.

Today’s column will address a recent email I got from “Dave” in California. I hope my response to him will help you or someone you care about get hired faster!

Dave in California writes: “I have submitted over 1,300 resumes since May 2003 and gotten few inquiries. Software is the first gatekeeper weeding out a resume looking for buzzwords. Once past that hurdle, my resume goes in front of a human being. But those people are so bad at knowing what the job is and what skills are required, I usually have to explain it to them. I could go on and on about how inept HR departments have become … and how inhumane management is becoming. I can't wait for the day when the pendulum swings back and there are too few candidates for too many jobs.”

Dave is obviously very bitter, and that’s understandable after six months of fruitless job hunting. But that attitude won't help him get hired any faster.

Indeed, a poor attitude can creep into your conversations with employers and wreck the few job interviews you do get – I've seen it happen.

Here are three suggestions to help Dave (and you) jump-start a stalled job search:

1) Change your attitude.

You do get a feeling of comfort if you lash out at others for a stalled job search. After all, that lifts the blame off your shoulders -- it’s not your fault the economy’s sluggish, jobs have been eliminated, it’s the holidays and nobody’s hiring, etc. Any excuse will do.

But blaming outside forces prevents you from changing your thoughts and actions. And if you continue to do the same things without making changes, you'll get the same results.

Instead, start taking full responsibility for your job search. It all starts with your attitude -- that’s the only thing you have 100% control over. William James, the Harvard psychologist and philosopher, got it right when he said: “Belief creates the actual fact.”

You can believe your job search will succeed or that it will fail. Either way, you’re right.

2) Change your resume.

If you've sent out 1,300 resumes without success, it’s time for a change.

But, if you’re like most people, you'll find it difficult to read your resume objectively and with a critical eye. (It’s like looking at pictures of your kids. Of course they’re beautiful. They’re yours!)

Instead, do this. Show your resume to 3 friends whose judgment you trust and ask these 3 questions: Does this resume clearly tell you what I can do? Does it prove I can do it? Does it make you want to call me to find out more?

With help from your friends, revise your resume until all answers are “yes” and all systems are go.

3) Change how you apply for jobs.

If software is screening out your resume, then screen out the software.

Instead, apply to companies in person.

Of the 250 people you know personally (if you’re average) there’s a good chance one of them either knows somebody at Company X or knows somebody else who might. Your task is to go from person to person, like a pachinko ball, until you make a connection. Then, hand-deliver your resume over coffee or lunch.

Since you'll have to talk to a person at some point in the hiring process anyway (computers don't hire, humans do) why not speed things up and start talking to more people today?

If I could boil all my advice to Dave and you down to one sentence, it would be this: Never confuse activity with productivity.

If what you’re doing in your job search is not generating interviews and job offers, change it. Start with your attitude. Then change your resume and how you apply for jobs, as needed.

-- Kevin Donlin is the author of "The Last Guide to Cover Letter & Resume Writing You'll Ever Need," a do-it-yourself manual that will help you find a job in 30 days ... or your money back. For more information, please visit http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php

Career Videos