Usually there is a flood of feelings that come with losing your job. Shock. Denial. Anger. Betrayal. Fear. Guilt. Sometimes even relief. It’s traumatic. Your sense of self-worth, and for many, your entire identity has been attacked.

Losing your job is one of the more stressful events that life can bring. Everyone hates those feelings of rejection, but coping properly will do a great deal to get you back to work faster.

Mark was a project manager with a large wireless company. Last month he got laid off and sought me out to help him turn around his life. He made over $100K and wanted to land a good job but wasn’t sure how to start. Janet was part of a larger corporate layoff. After thirteen years with the same company, she knew she needed help to get another high-paying position. But, job search techniques have changed. Both clients learned that to succeed in today’s changing job market, they had to distinguish themselves from other applicants. That means terrific self-marketing.

To increase your opportunities to move ahead try implementing these similar success strategies:

Write a top notch resume. Employers want to see specific results and accomplishments. General, boring job descriptions are ineffective; it’s noting specific results that gets employers’ attention. Define how you have saved time, increased productivity, cut costs and added to the bottom line. Make sure your resume screams, “I’m a get-the-job-done kind of person.” Use the actions = results formula, hitting only your major accomplishments and noting the experience you have that is necessary to do the job. Action verbs like directed, created, implemented are powerful so start each sentence with one.

Network online and offline! 63% of all jobs last year were found through contacts according to the Department of Labor. Others can pass on leads and introductions, even forward your resume on to a hiring manager, to insure you get a look. Join and attend professional meetings, making an effort to meet two people to add to your network. If you have a favorite company you wish to get into, search your network and theirs to find someone inside to help you.

Hit the interview running. Start the interview in the best possible way: when the interviewer asks the, ‘Tell me about yourself’ question, forget an autobiography. Use the 60 Second Sell. This technique has you analyze the job duties the employer wants accomplished, then select your top five selling points – your strongest abilities, experience and skills – that demonstrate that you can do the job. Link these five points together in a few sentences and you have created a verbal business card that is the most effective way to begin and to close the interview.

Keep the momentum going. During the interview, keep it going with well-prepared answers to questions and practice before you ever face the interviewer. Pre-determine some specific examples of your past performance for any situational questions that come up.

Be professional and dress up! Too casual is unprofessional, but this is a mistake many people are making. You need to “look” like a role-model of the company who would fit in nicely with the image the company wants to portray. A big smile on your face is your most important asset; use it often.