New Strategies to Aid in Job Searches

With record high unemployment, people need new strategies for finding jobs -- and Lisa Johnson Mandell has them.

Mandell, author of "Career Comeback," appeared on "The Early Show" with Jack Iannaccone, a job seeker Mandell helped get employed in the last year's "Early Show" "Job Squad" series.

So how do you find a job?

Mandell said the first piece of advice she gives is to stay "up" and exude positive energy.

"Appear young, fresh, hip and just ready to tackle any challenge," she said. "And it's hard to keep that attitude going."

Another suggestion Mandell gives in her new book is to "Botox your resume." She explained you need to firm and freshen your qualifications.

She said, "You take away all the age spots, which would be like date of graduation. And by the way, even if you're young, you want to take date of graduation off."

Why?

"You don't want people to automatically know this person is fresh out of college and has absolutely no professional experience," she said.

Mandell stressed, "What's important is the school you went to and what you majored in -- far more important than your date of graduation. And you want to put your highlights right at the top. Gone are the days when did you that big paragraph of career summary. Nobody cares about your career objective. They care about what you're going to accomplish for them."

"Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez remarked, "This isn't your grandfather's resume."

Also, you should make yourself part of a social network, such as Linked In and Facebook.

"They are so important," Mandell said. "Head hunters these days, before they post a job, they'll do a search on Linked In. They'll do a search on Facebook. And I've had a number of opportunities, people coming to me for jobs that have not been posted wanting to know if I want to apply. And if I can do it, anybody can do it."

Mandell also suggested creating a "brand new you" by presenting yourself differently.

"Your personal brand is so important," she said. "This is what Jack (Iannaccone) and I talked about a lot. He started a blog, got it out there that he was an expert in his field. And once again, that helps head hunters find you and it also proves to everybody that you're Internet savvy."

Iannaccone said the thing he'll remember most about his job search is the strategies Mandell has taught him.

"I do have a new career now, but I'm not leaving any of these skills behind," he said. "I'm maintaining the fresh look, the energetic attitude. I'm keeping options open out there, as far as maintaining networks. I'm keeping up on everything that I've learned. You don't put it away. If you have to look again, you don't want to dust everything off, you just want to keep it current."