1. Update Your Resume: You should always have an updated resume on file. The last thing you want is to have to throw together a resume while dealing with the emotions of having lost your job. If you need help writing or updating a resume, here are some good resources: Please note, you should never post your resume in a disclosed manor. Choose only to post confidentially. You want your profile to be seen by both companies as well as recruiting professionals, however not your name and identity.

1. Update Your Network: Some folks are natural born networkers. You should keep a list of contacts you would reach out to if you were in need of a job. This list should include not only those that may hire you, but also those that can spread the word and keep a look out for job opportunities. Linked In is the best technological tool for this. www.linkedin.com

1. Identify Career Opportunities: Here are the better online resources that specialize in 6 Figure income jobs for Professionals and Executives. Here you will find opportunities offered by both companies and recruiters.

The Ladders: This site is focused on $100,000+ jobs. You must register, and the site offers both free (with limited job searches) and ($30 per month) memberships.

Execunet: Be found by employers and recruiters for confidential $100,000 Dollar Plus executive and professional level jobs you won’t find anywhere else, as well as like-minded business leaders interested in discussing business challenges and sharing solutions.

1. Prepare a Rainy Day Fund. It’s basically an emergency fund on steroids. One of the basic concepts is to determine what steps you would take to raise money and decrease spending if your family lost some or all of its current income. Would you sell one or more cars? Or boats? Or second homes? What monthly expenses would you get rid of such as cable, health club memberships or netflix? What changes would you make to your lifestyle to reduce spending on items such as clothing or entertainment? Thinking through these issues ahead of time will help you handle a financial crisis should one come your way. If you intend to be reloadable, make sure you know the value of your home and what sacrifices may be necessary in order to make the move ahead of time.

1. Contact Recruiters who specialize in your field or geographic area, depending on your career search objectives. You will need to contact both contingent recruiters as well as retained search firms in order to gain proper exposure. The key is to get your resume in front of them, so they know the value you offer. One of the best on line resources I have found is Myresumeagent. We use it on behalf of our executive client for resume distribution to the recruiter channel. Please recognize that recruiters do not work for you, they work for the clients who pay their fees. There fudiciary responsibility is 100% to the client company that hired them.

1. Change Your Overall Mindset : Gone are the days when herds of recruiters would call you. Don’t sit back and wait for an offer. Learn the fine art of self-promotion. “I can’t tell you how many times executives send out resumes with subject lines like: Hot Prospect – Get Me While You Can!” In the dot-com heyday you could have pulled it off. “But today, that kind of thing just does not cut it.” Not only do you need to bring solid skills to the table, you also need to be savvy enough to present those skills in a compelling manner. Today, soft skills count. Even more importantly, though, is to stay positive. You may be out of work for a few days, a few weeks or even longer –but you will get through it. A good attitude will carry you farther than anything else.

1. Update Your Resume: You should always have an updated resume on file. The last thing you want is to have to throw together a resume while dealing with the emotions of having lost your job. If you need help writing or updating a resume, here are some good resources:  Please note, you should never post your resume in a disclosed manor. Choose only to post confidentially. You want your profile to be seen by both companies as well as recruiting professionals, however not your name and identity.

1. • Resume Help: This site offers free sample resumes as well as paid resume writing services.

1. • JobStar: This site also offers free resume samples as well as other employment related information.

1. • Monster: This well known employment website also offers samples and tips for preparing an effective resume.

1. Update Your Network: Some folks are natural born networkers. You should keep a list of contacts you would reach out to if you were in need of a job. This list should include not only those that may hire you, but also those that can spread the word and keep a look out for job opportunities.  Linked In is the best technological tool for this.  www.linkedin.com

1. Identify Career Opportunities: Here are the better online resources that specialize in 6 Figure income jobs for Professionals and Executives. Here you will find opportunities offered by both companies and recruiters.

Experteer: is the leading career service for executives worldwide.  Experteer offers access to over 50,000 jobs in the U.S. and Europe, with U.S. salaries starting from $100k. Based on your qualifications and career goals, it matches you to specific senior management jobs and provides confidential access to a pre-approved headhunter network. One million highly-qualified professionals worldwide are registered on Experteer to leverage their global career opportunities. Join now an elite group of executives around the globe.

The Ladders: This site is focused on $100,000+ jobs. You must register, and the site offers both free (with limited job searches) and ($30 per month) memberships.

Execunet: Be found by employers and recruiters for confidential $100,000 Dollar Plus executive and professional level jobs you won’t find anywhere else, as well as like-minded business leaders interested in discussing business challenges and sharing solutions.

1. Prepare a Rainy Day  Fund. It’s basically an emergency fund on steroids. One of the basic concepts is to determine what steps you would take to raise money and decrease spending if your family lost some or all of its current income. Would you sell one or more cars? Or boats? Or second homes? What monthly expenses would you get rid of such as cable, health club memberships or netflix? What changes would you make to your lifestyle to reduce spending on items such as clothing or entertainment? Thinking through these issues ahead of time will help you handle a financial crisis should one come your way. If you intend to be reloadable, make sure you know the value of your home and what sacrifices may be necessary in order to make the move ahead of time.

1. Contact Recruiters who specialize in your field or geographic area, depending on your career search objectives. You will need to contact both contingent recruiters as well as retained search firms in order to gain proper exposure. The key is to get your resume in front of them, so they know the value you offer. One of the best on line resources I have found is Myresumeagent. We use it on behalf of our executive client for resume distribution to the recruiter channel. Please recognize that recruiters do not work for you, they work for the clients who pay their fees. There fudiciary responsibility is 100% to the client company that hired them.

1. Change Your Overall Mindset : Gone are the days when herds of recruiters would call you. Don’t sit back and wait for an offer. Learn the fine art of self-promotion. “I can’t tell you how many times executives send out resumes with subject lines like: Hot Prospect – Get Me While You Can!”  In the dot-com heyday you could have pulled it off. “But today, that kind of thing just does not cut it.” Not only do you need to bring solid skills to the table, you also need to be savvy enough to present those skills in a compelling manner. Today, soft skills count. Even more importantly, though, is to stay positive. You may be out of work for a few days, a few weeks or even longer –but you will get through it. A good attitude will carry you farther than anything else. Today, more than ever you must be prepared to invest in your career search. To take more control of your career search , Stewart Cooper Coon’s  , Executive Placement Program can be a good solution.

1. Personal branding to differentiate and strategically position you.
In brief, personal branding links your passions, key personal attributes, and strengths with your value proposition, in a crystal clear message that differentiates your unique promise of value and resonates with your target audience.
One of the many powerful things about branding is that it generates chemistry for you and helps hiring decision makers connect you with and see you in the jobs they’re trying to fill. Branding shows them how you make things happen.
2. Portfolio of career marketing communications for your personal brand toolkit.
An executive resume, career biography, covering letter or email message, and reference dossier are must-haves.
But you may need other documents such as a Leadership Initiatives Profile, Achievement Summary, One-page Networking Resume, Performance Milestones, Product Launch Chronology, Project Management Highlights, Technology Skills, Training & Certifications, Speaking Presentations, Publications, Patents, Commitment to Community Service, etc. Name the document to fit the content and target.
Get ready to transform these documents into your online identity-building strategy.
3. LinkedIn profile and strategy.
Did you know that recruiters and hiring decision makers routinely search LinkedIn for talent and even have special applications designed for that purpose?
If you do nothing else online, you have to have a great LinkedIn profile. But don’t stop there. Get busy making connections, joining clubs, and leveraging all this site boasting over 45 million professional members has to offer.
Go back to your executive resume and career biography and copy relevant content into the appropriate sections to create your LinkedIn profile. Optimize your profile and make it searchable using the relevant key word phrases hiring decision makers will be looking for in candidates like you.

Once your profile is together, be sure to include a link to it in your email signature and at the top of your resume, along with contact information.
4. Tap into the hidden job market with targeted industry and company research.
Take advantage of all that’s available online about your target companies and industry. Go to the websites of companies of interest to you and spend some time on sites such as Hoovers Online, Forbes lists, and Dun & Bradstreet for a wealth of in depth data.
Track down warm leads at companies, identify the challenges they’re facing, learn about the company culture, and pinpoint how you can have an impact.
Circumvent the gatekeepers by identifying and connecting directly with top decision makers at companies through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other online social networks.
Your research also arms you with market intelligence, serves as your due diligence for companies, and positions you as an informed, engaged candidate in interviews.
5. Face-to-Face Networking Strategy
Along with online networking, in-person networking is still one of the best ways to land a job. This strategy is not a “new rule”, but one that can be approached in a new way.
Many executives neglect their networks when they’re not job seeking − a serious mistake. You’ll need to revive your connections and once again start practicing “give to get” networking.
Leverage the Internet employment portal Job-Hunt.org to connect or re-connect through professional associations & societies, company, military & government alumni groups, and networking & job search support groups.
6. Online personal brand-building and online brand identity management.
What will recruiters and hiring decision makers uncover when they Google “your name”? Checking out candidates’ online presence before even considering or contacting them is pretty much standard practice now.
If they find nothing about you online, you probably don’t exist to them. Conversely, if they find information that discredits you, you’ll probably be out of the running. You’ll need to run damage control and start building up accurate, on-brand results to push down the negative ones.
Here are a few places to build a presence online and increase the number of positive search results associated with you:
■ Create a Google Profile and other online professional profiles.
■ Blog in some way − your own blog and/or guest blog and comment on other relevant blogs.
■ Create key word-rich profiles on Twitter and Facebook and get busy leveraging all they have to offer.
■ Write book reviews on Amazon and other online book sellers.
■ Publish articles and/or white papers online.

7. Posting on Public Job Boards.
You may want to post your resume on open public job boards, such as Career Builder or Monster, however these are rarely effective for the six figure professional and executive. Should you choose to explore this channel, we recommend that you choose the privacy option, and do not disclose your contact information and identity. Many executive recruiters will not help you once you are publicly displayed, as well as companies will consider you less valuable as well.

Resume Help: This site offers free sample resumes as well as paid resume writing services.

JobStar: This site also offers free resume samples as well as other employment related information.

Monster: This well known employment website also offers samples and tips for preparing an effective resume.

Experteer: is the leading career service for executives worldwide.  Experteer offers access to over 50,000 jobs in the U.S. and Europe, with U.S. salaries starting from $100k. Based on your qualifications and career goals, it matches you to specific senior management jobs and provides confidential access to a pre-approved headhunter network. One million highly-qualified professionals worldwide are registered on Experteer to leverage their global career opportunities. Join now an elite group of executives around the globe.

The Ladders: This site is focused on $100,000+ jobs. You must register, and the site offers both free (with limited job searches) and ($30 per month) memberships.

Netshare:  is a membership-based organization dedicated to providing executives and professionals across all disciplines and industries, with quality $100K plus job listings, networking opportunities, and a community of peers for the exchange of strategic information related to job search, professional development and best practices.

Execunet: Be found by employers and recruiters for confidential $100,000 Dollar Plus executive and professional level jobs you won’t find anywhere else, as well as like-minded business leaders interested in discussing business challenges and sharing solutions.

The world has changed, and we are in a recession. Gone are the days when herds of recruiters would call you. Don’t sit back and wait for an offer. Learn the fine art of self-promotion. “I can’t tell you how many times executives send out resumes with subject lines like: Hot Prospect – Get Me While You Can!”  In the dot-com heyday you could have pulled it off. “But today, that kind of thing just does not cut it.” Not only do you need to bring solid skills to the table, you also need to be savvy enough to present those skills in a compelling manner. Today, soft skills count. Even more importantly, though, is to stay positive. You may be out of work for a few weeks, a few months or even longer –but you will get through it. A good attitude will carry you farther than anything else.  Scot Moses  – http://www.linkedin.com/in/smoses