Most of the time  Thomas Muller Germany Jersey , competition stimulates us, gets our juices flowing, generates creativity, a sense of excitement, and motivates us to perform at our best. Looking for work is another matter! When it comes to financial survival, to regaining independence and self-worth, competition can be crippling. We apply for a job in the fervent hope that hundreds of others are not also applying. Finding work is too serious an issue to be considered a game or a sport. We need to find that position that will make everything all right, make us believe in ourselves again  Shkodran Mustafi Germany Jersey , and help rebuild the self-esteem and self-confidence shattered by unemployment. Unless we are very lucky, there will be competition for every position we identify. Our remaining option is to set ourselves apart from other hungry applicants. How? Take a global view and emerge from the dank and slimy job search swamp by utilizing a number of techniques I call knock-out P-U-N-C-H-E-S, guaranteed to leave your competitors crying "Uncle" and throwing in the towel. 1. P is for Persistence. We all hate failure. We don't like being rejected, judged, or found inadequate in any way. Trudging on, day after disappointing day, requires all of our reserves of energy, reserves that are rapidly becoming depleted. From having to constantly present ourselves as enthusiastic and creative  Sebastian Rudy Germany Jersey , we become blue, bummed, and bone-deep exhausted. We wonder how much longer we can keep up the fa?ade of self-confidence that we secretly admit has long ago evaporated. How can we present ourselves as competent, successful, and eager when in our heart-of-hearts we have accepted that we are a despised failure in a success-oriented culture? The secret is to keep plugging away. No matter the number of disappointments we have experienced; no matter the number of rejections we have encountered; no matter the times when our age, our experience, our skills have been found wanting - we have to KEEP GOING. We never know if "this time" is "the one." We have to continue to act, no matter how difficult or painful it may be  Sami Khedira Germany Jersey , as if this were the one position we have been seeking. Ask any newly hired worker and they will tell you that just as they were about to give up, along came the gold at the end of the rainbow. Not giving up, no matter how discouraged you internally feel, is the secret weapon in finding a position, no matter how long it takes for the right opportunity to appear. 2. U means Unswerving Focus. There is so much going on in your life: family stresses, financial pressures, multiple demands on your time and your energy. The search for work, although prioritized for a long time  Ron-Robert Zieler Germany Jersey , has moved down the "to do" list somewhere below Timmy's first tee-ball game and the in-laws' anniversary party. If you have mastered the art of multi-tasking (juggling activities around as changing deadlines demand), you will have realized that finding work is your overwhelming priority and that nothing can, or will, interrupt your focus on that, no matter what else may be happening in your life. Ignoring peripherals and always keeping your eye on the immediate objective, obtaining a job, ensures that opportunities are not missed and that every possible avenue is explored. While there may be time for other things to maintain your balance, the time allotted for job search must remain intact and sacred  Roman Weidenfeller Germany Jersey , no interruptions allowed. 3. N stands for Networking. The often-touted "hidden job market" is merely a term to cover the multiple job openings that always exist but are never publicized. Literally, millions of positions are filled without classified advertising, internet postings, or agency listings. Such positions are identified, and obtained, through personal referral: a job seeker knows someone who knows someone else who has a need for the job seeker's skills and abilities. Networking is merely a fancy term for using friends and acquaintances to help locate employment. The process requires that when you are in need of work, you make sure that everyone you know is aware of your situation and that you ask them for information and assistance. Beyond exploring job leads with your contacts, it requires the harvesting of names and additional contacts through personal referrals from your first line friends. Like the ripples of a pebble cast into a lake  Philipp Lahm Germany Jersey , your access to unadvertised positions multiples exponentially as your network of contacts, and their contacts, expand your chances of being in the right place at the right time when that long-sought employer connection occurs. Many workers draw back from the process after a few attempts, fearful of exploiting family and friends. At its best, this is a mutually beneficial relationship as their self-esteem is increased by having the opportunity to help you. At some future juncture, you may be able to return the favor. 4. C for Communication. A job seeker doesn't necessarily have to possess the spiel of a professional salesman nor the creative presentation of a marketing specialist but clear, unambiguous communication is critical throughout the hunt for work. Your resume, cover letter  Per Mertesacker Germany Jersey , and completed application need to be clear in at least three areas. a) What position are you applying for? Even if you have become so desperate that you'll take just about anything, an employer is looking for an applicant who specifically wants the job he has available. If your resume is purposefully hazy (because you are looking for several different types of work), make sure that your cover letter is focused on the specific position for which you are applying. b) What have you done in the past that is relevant to the position you are currently seeking? Again, if your resume shows a smattering of skills in seemingly unrelated areas, tie it all together in your cover letter so that it makes sense in the employer's mind. c) What can you do, better than anyone else, to make the employer believe that he has to hire YOU.