1. Filter Your Dreams through the funnel of Reality. Make a list of the jobs you would be willing to do at the lowest salary you would be willing to accept, and what jobs you simply will not seek under any circumstances.

2. Set up a Dating service for your skills. Match a specific skill you possess to a specific human contact who you will flirt your credentials in front of.

The increasing challenge of the job market has created a new txt messaging sequence "LOAL", Laid-Off-And-Looking. As a result, the ever popular "LOL" is quickly being replaced with "LOAL" as the economy has become no laughing matter. Today more than ever it is critical to understand how to present your skills so that you can best position yourself for employment.

As a retained executive recruiter, I read many resumes and speak to talented executives daily. One of their key challenges is to determine how they use their many talents and interests in the future career pursuits. While there is a desire to be broad and keep "all options open", the better path is to decide on a path and stay focused.

From Wall Street to WalMart, Banker to Baker, Tech Worker to Teacher and Lawyer to Landscaper, the recession has forced millions of Americans to reinvent themselves as a means of survival. According to the Labor Department about 45% of the 6.5 million Americans who became unemployed in this downturn lost their jobs permanently. Furthermore, online career site CareerBuilder.com reports that 71% of those who have been laid off are looking for jobs outside their fields. This shift has created a revolution of personal brand reinvention like never seen before.

As the nation continues to struggle with a challenging economy there has been much talk about people losing jobs in this recession and much focus on helping the "job-seeker". But what about people who still have their jobs and are dealing with the daily stress of doing "double-time" to remain employed. For this group, whom I call "job-keepers", the stress of trying to keep a job can be just as daunting. In fact, stress levels may even be higher.

Today, you don't have to look too far to know that people across all walks of life are looking for some form of assistance. For some it is government assistance to get back on their feet, for others it is mortgage assistance to stay in their homes, and for others it is unemployment assistance to get through hard times. Whether or not you fit this category, you know that hard times make us forget about the times in our life when no assistance was required.Those were the times when our brand, our accounts, and our roof were in order.

We read the unemployment statistics and cringe at the thought of not finding opportunities. However, there are tools that can help us to stand out from our competition and gain notice in the minds of decision-makers. Here is a list of simple but effective things to do to get noticed in a positive and productive way:

It is true. Times have changed and to succeed in this fast-paced digital world of friending, linking, accepting, and commenting you must be known for something.

It used to be that who you know got you the job or made you a better candidate than your opponent but today who you know is not enough. It takes an inventory of reputation built online where others can openly and candidly validate your value to make it to the next level. So what can you do to stand out, and what are some effective ways to be known for something when it counts?

In these challenging times the people who make themselves positively memorable are the ones most often kept, treasured, valued, and positioned for opportunity.

As you look to keep your job, regain employment, or move from one career to another, ask yourself what you are doing to make yourself memorable. Your personal brand is your ticket to standing out from a crowded field and to being considered an asset. How memorable is your brand?

Personal Branding: 10 Methods to Make Yourself Memorable

Getting hired, by Donald Trump or anyone else, is about positioning, strategic communication, and adapting based on the circumstances.