We've noticed recently on Twitter that a lot of people are talking about having been laid off over the past couple of months. TechCrunch reports that there have been almost 80,000 layoffs in the technology sector since August, and entire blogs have been started about web and tech people losing their jobs. But even with all that doom and gloom, many companies are still hiring. If you find yourself looking for work, or trying to find some freelance gigs on the side to supplement your income, here are some tips to help you stand out, stay organized, and ultimately land a job.

1. Get Your Resumé in Order

Your resumé is a record of your entire professional life condensed on a single page （or two）. 95% of the time, it will be the second thing a potential employer will see （first is your cover letter, which we'll talk about next）, so that makes it supremely important that everything is in order.

First and foremost, that means making sure your resumé is up-to-date. Double check that all of your contact information is correct, and that all of your prior work experience, including your most recent position, is accounted for. Try to emphasize the positions that best relate to the jobs you're most interested in finding, and remove the ones that don't relate, especially if your resumé is getting too long （a lot of HR people won't both with resumés over two pages in length）.

Remember to give a brief synopsis of your responsibilities at each job because job titles don't mean much. A product manager at one company might do less than an assistant at another.

2. Never Reuse Cover Letters

The cover letter is the first thing a potential employer will see when you apply for a job. It will often determine if your resumé even gets looked at, so it is vitally important that you put proper time into crafting a good one.

Your cover letter is your chance to tie in the work experience detailed on your resumé to the actual job you're applying for. Go into detail about why your past experiences will help you excel at the position you're gunning to land.

You should always tailor your cover letter to the specific job you're applying for. You may not have to do a full rewrite each time, since you're likely to be applying to similar job opportunities, but you should never send out a form cover letter that's the same for every application.

3. Network （Offline）

Networking is essential to finding a new job. Neither of my last two jobs were advertised via traditional channels - I happened into them by meeting the right people, letting them know what I was good at, and making a positive impression.

You should set aside some time to become a regular at the local tech meetups （most cities have a few these days, even the smaller ones）, join the local user groups about the technologies you're interested in - and present at them, and attend nearby conferences. For the unemployed, conferences can be an expense that's hard to justify, but if you can manage to afford the cheapest pass （the one that gets you into just the expo hall usually）, you can meet some great people hanging around in the lobby and hallways.

4. Network （Online）

Remember that networking happens both offline and online.

Online it means developing and maintaining a network of active professional acquaintances on services like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and making positive contributions to professional discussion communities like Hacker News and SitePoint Forums.

5. Start Blogging

Blogging is an excellent way to raise your visibility. Blog about the things you hope to be doing at your next job and start to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Along with all that networking you're doing, blogging will help raise your profile and could attract recruiters. It's never a bad thing when you apply for a job and the person on the other end reading your cover letter thinks, "Where have I heard this name before? … Oh right, he wrote that great article about unit testing!"

And who knows, blogging might even land you a job interview at Google.

6. Check Job Boards Often （Like, Right Now）

You'll never find a job if you don't actively look for them. Very rarely do jobs come to you - yeah, it happens sometimes, but it's the exception, not the rule. In October, we published a list of 20 job boards that can help you find a job in web development or a freelance gig. These are a great starting point, and while you're conducting your job search you should live on these sites.

Many of them offer RSS feeds of new jobs. Those RSS feeds are your new best friend. Subscribe to them all, set your RSS reader to check for updates as often as possible, and be the first to apply for new jobs and gigs as they go up. For sites that don't have any RSS feeds, don't be shy about using a service like Dapper to create your own. Staying on top of as many job opportunities as possible is essential to finding a new job - this is a marathon, not a sprint.

7. Know Your Price

Especially for freelancers, knowing your price is very important. It's not enough that you can beat the other guy to the pitch, you have to be able to quote fast as well. As more and more people are pushed out of work and into the job market, and less and less jobs are available to go around, competition is getting really stiff for each new open position. Being able to quote quickly and accurately will raise your chances of landing that consulting gig.

8. Don't Stop Learning

How many programming languages do you know? How good are you with CSS? Photoshop? Dreamweaver? Can you set up Apache in your sleep? That's not good enough. Someone else out ther knows more, and knows it all better. The job market is competitive and you shouldn't rest on your laurels and assume that what you know is enough to get by. Staying on the bleeding edge of web technology is a great way to set yourself apart from other job applicants, and honing your knowledge of your current skills is important to standing out in the crowd （also, why not blog about all the new things you're learning, so recruiters can bone up on what you're boning up on?）.

You want to be the guy telling your potential next boss about new technologies even he hasn't heard of and why he should be using them. That's the sort of passion that will make an impression on employers.

9. Follow Up with Past Clients

A perhaps overlooked source of potential new jobs is past clients. Just because they haven't contacted you recently, doesn't necessarily mean there isn't work to be done. Be proactive and ping past clients about what you can do for them. If nothing else, it's a great way to reconnect with people that can act as potential references or talk you up to others in their industry that might be looking for help. Keep yourself on the radar screens of those who do the hiring and you'll be rewarded for the effort eventually.

Similarly, if you haven't heard back from them, it's a good idea to follow up on jobs you've applied for a week or two after emailing your application. Ask if they're starting interviews soon and reaffirm your interest in the open position. A well-timed follow up and move your resume to the top of the pile just as the employer is sorting through, and often times that sort of ambition will be looked upon favorably and rewarded. More than once in my past that type of follow up has led to an interview.

10. Keep it all Organized

Finding a new job rarely means just applying for a couple. I've read more stories than I care to count about people who had to apply for 15, 20, 40, or even more jobs before they landed just one interview. That shouldn't be discouraging - finding a new job is hard work and could take months - but it does illustrate why you need to be organized about your job hunt.

Applying for the same job twice, or accidentally addressing a cover letter to the wrong employer would be major faux pas that you definitely want to avoid. We recommend Happy Job Search, a application written by web developer Daniel Higginbotham after he found himself laid off from work twice in the span of three months.

Happy Job Search is a very simple application, but it's an exceptionally useful one. It lets you quickly log information about jobs that you come across in your search, and then keep track of the stage of your application - whether you've applied, heard back, have an interview scheduled, etc. When you're applying to tens of jobs each week and scanning hundreds of job ads, an organizational application like Happy Job Search could quickly become your new favorite piece of software.

As always, if you have any other advice for job seekers, please share in the comments!

过去几个月来，我们注意到在twitter上很多人都在谈论被解雇的事情。TechCrunch（注：一家评价新生公司，产品及网址的博客公司--英文维基http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TechCrunch）报导说自从8月起在技术部门有将近80000人被解雇，而整个博客里都开始充盈着网页和技术人员失去工作的事。但即使有这样的不幸与黑暗，许多公司仍然在招聘。如果你发现自己在找工作，或者试着找一些自由职业来补充你的收入以使一切运转，以下是些帮你脱颖而出的技巧，保持组织性，然后最终搞掂一个工作。

1.把你的简历准备得井然有序

你的简历是一个把你的整个职业生涯都浓缩到一张（或两张）纸上的记录。95%的机会，它会是一个潜在老板第二个会看的东西（第一个是你的求职信，我们会在下一步讨论到）, 所以让它上面的一切（内容）井然有序是至关重要的一点。

首先，最重要的是，那意味着确保你的简历是及时更新的。重复检查你所有联系信息是否正确，还有你之前所有的工作经历，包括解释清楚你最近的职位。试着强调那些你最感兴趣最想找的工作与这些职位的紧密关联，然后去掉那些不关联的，特别是如果你的简历太长的话（许多人力资源部门人员HR都不会理会长度超过两页的简历。）

记住写出每个工作中关于你的职责的简单摘要，因为职位头衔常常不代表什么。一个公司的产品经理可能做的活还没有另一个公司的助理做得多。

2.绝不重复使用求职信

求职信是当你申请一份工作时，一个潜在雇佣者最先看到的东西。它常常会让人决定你的简历是否值得看，所以花费适量时间炮制一份好的求职信是极其重要的。

你的求职信是你将详细列数在简历上的工作经历关联到你正申请的真实工作的机会。去详细说明为什么你过去的经验会帮助你胜任这个你准备搞掂的职位。

你得总是为你申请的工作而度身打造（量体裁衣）你的求职信。你可能不必每次都全部重写一遍，因为你很可能总是申请类似的工作机会，但你绝不能每个申请都寄出一个相同的求职信模板。

3.（线下）交流

交流是找到一份新工作所必须的。我上两份工作都不是通过传统途径打广告出来的---我碰巧得到他们是因为遇到了正确的人，让他们知道我所擅长的，并给出一个积极形象。

你应该留点时间去成为当地技术会议的一个常客（这些日子里许多城市都有些，甚至更小点的城市里）,参加当地关于你感兴趣的技术的用户小组---给他们做演示，然后参加附近的会议。对没有工作的人来说，会议是很难调整的一个费用，但如果你能尽力负担些最便宜的通行证（那些常常只能让你进展会大厅的那种）,你可以遇见一些在大厅和走廊晃荡的了不起人物。

4.（线上）交流

记住交流同时发生在网上和线下。

在线意味着与在诸如LinkedIn, Twitter, 和Facebook等服务器上活跃的职场熟人 发展并保持交流，在诸如 Hacker News 和 SitePoint Forums这样的职业讨论社区做出积极的贡献。

5.开始写博客

写博是提高你曝光率的妙招。写关于那些你下份工作希望做的事情，开始将你自己打造成你行业的专家。同你正在做的所有交流工作一起，写博客会帮助提升你的形象，可能会吸引招聘者们。这将不会是个坏事---- 当你申请一份工作时，另一边阅读你求职信的那个人想着，"哎，我在那儿听过这个名字来着？…哦，对了，他写过那篇关于联合测试？的好文章！"

而且，谁知道呢，写博可能会让你在google得到一个面试机会呢。

6.经常上工作版块（比如，现在！）

如果你不努力寻找工作，你将永远不会找到。极罕见的是工作自动找上门---是的，有时也可能，但那是例外，而不是规律。在10月份时，我们公布了一个有20个工作公告版块的名单，可以帮助你们找到网页制作或一份自由（打理？）撰稿的工作。这些都是一个很好的出发点，而且当你在找工作时你可以以这些网站为生。

许多这些网站都提供新工作的RSS 提要。这些RSS提要是你新的好朋友。把它们全部订阅，尽可能多的设置你的RSS阅读器来多检查这些更新，一旦它们出现，作第一个申请这些新工作或新兼职的人。对于没有任何RSS提要的网站，别不好意思，去用个象Dapper的服务器来创建你自己的（RSS提要）.保持多多申请工作机会对找份新工作是很重要的---这是场马拉松，可不是次短跑。

7.清楚自己的身价

特别是对于自由撰稿人来说，知道自己的报价是很重要的。你能把别人击败还不够，你还必须能够快速地给出报价。当越来越多的人被炒鱿鱼然后涌进工作市场后，越来越少的工作变得可得，每个新的公开职位的竞争正越演越烈。能够准确而快速地给出报价会提高你搞定那个咨询兼职的概率。

8.学无止境

你知道多少种编程语言？你的CSS有多拿手？PS呢？还有Dreamweaver呢？你能闭着眼睛设立一个阿帕奇 Apache 吗？都还不够好。其他某些人知道得更多更好。找工作的市场竞争激烈，你不能坐吃山空（仰仗你的老本，荣誉）,一厢情愿地认为你知道的就足以让你过关。掌握些网页技术的风险性新功能会让你从其他求职者中脱颖而出，而磨练你现在技巧的知识也是鹤立鸡群的重要手段（而且，为何不把你所学的所有新东西都写进博客呢，那样招聘者们就会去钻研你正钻研的东西？）

你想要成为那个告诉你潜在的下任老板他都还没听过的新技术的那个人吗？并告诉他为什么他得用它们。这就是会让雇主们印象深刻的热情类型。

9.追踪过去的客户

潜在新工作的一个可能被忽视的资源是过去的客户。仅仅因为他们最近没联络你，并不一定表示（他们）没有需要做的工作。积极主动地与老客户联系，了解你能为他们做些什么。如果什么也没有，与那些在潜在会议中举足轻重或者可以将你介绍给他们行业里可能会寻求帮助的别人的人重新取得联系也是个好方法。将你自己放在那些雇人人员的雷达显示屏中，你会最终因这努力而获得好处的。

同样的，如果你还没从他们那儿得到反馈，那么接着写电邮给你近一两个星期申请的工作（招聘人员）,也不失为一个好主意。询问他们近期是否会开始面试，然后重申你对这个公开职位的兴趣。正合时宜的追踪和行动会让你的简历在雇主整理文件时被放在最上面（优先考虑）,而且，这种雄心常常被看好并被奖赏。我过去不止一次地用这种追踪得到面试机会。

10.让一切井井有条

找份新工作很少意味着申请些工作就了事了。我都不想数我读到过多少人申请15,20,40甚至更多工作都没搞定一个面试机会的故事了。那不该是让人灰心的---找份新工作的确很难，而且旷日持久，常常可能会长达数月---但它也确实说明了为什么你需要让你的求职变得又组织（井井有条）.

两次申请一份相同工作，或者不小心将一份求职信发给错误的雇主是你绝对需要避免的重大失礼的地方。我们建议使用 Happy Job Search,一种由网页开发人员丹尼尔。希金伯特姆Daniel Higginbotham在发现他三个月来被炒了两次后写出的应用程序。

Happy Job Search是个非常简单的程序，但却是个格外有用的。它使你快速录入你搜索中找到的工作信息，然后记录你的申请阶段---是否已申请，得到反馈，约好了面试时间等等。当你每周申请数十个工作，浏览数百个工作广告时，一个像Happy Job Search这样的组织管理程序就可以很快地成为你新的最喜欢的一块软件。

同往常一样，如果你对求职者有其他的建议，请在评论里（写出）共分享。