Anyone who reads about job searches these days has absorbed a couple of key facts: There's a lot of competition, and it's whom you know that makes the difference.

This information eventually leads to articles emphasizing the importance of a targeted job search, in which one pursues a specific type of job rather than all jobs advertised. To do this, one must first identify and hone a job goal into a passable target.

If you've been keeping up on the literature, you already know there are numerous advantages to using a job target in your search:

- It opens up the hidden job market, because you can explain what you're seeking.

- It gives you a field or industry, which helps you conduct better networking.

- It lets you choose the most helpful training to take while you're unemployed.

- Being focused on a target lets you streamline your search by using template letters and only one resume.

While the advantages seem compelling, job seekers often confuse the general goal of being employed with actually having a job target. To clear up the confusion, here are three levels of targeting, ranging from not really targeted to being well-enough targeted to allow entrance to the hidden job market - a worthwhile goal, since estimates place the number of unadvertised ("hidden") jobs as high as 80 percent.

NOT TARGETED

A. Something where I can advance.

B. Something that makes use of my IT skills.

C. Anything that will pay my bills.

SOMEWHAT

A. A job in a large corporation, using my writing skills.

B. A job in database management.

C. Anything that pays $35,000 or more and uses my broad variety of skills.

HIGHLY TARGETED

A. An entry-level position in communications at a large corporation.

B. A database management role in an IT department with five or more people where I also can work on team projects.

C. An office manager or operations role for a company with 10 to 30 employees.

The more specific a job target is, the easier it becomes to identify the companies where the work might be done and, most importantly, the department heads who would supervise the work. This is key information, since the department head is the person you contact when using the hidden job market.

If choosing a job target has you stymied, your best bet might be to schedule a session with a career counselor who can help you jumpstart the process. In the meantime, here are three brief pathways to try.

1. Build on your most recent work experiences and look for jobs that match or improve on your last gig.

2. Transfer your strongest skills to a new field. For example, a loan processor for a mortgage company might bring her paperwork and credit checking skills to the finance department of car dealers or equipment leasers.

3. Choose a new career, using your current skills as a launch pad. If you want to be an X-ray technician but have been doing phone sales, consider switching to a customer service role in a hospital or clinic, so you can build familiarity with health care settings while getting your new certifications in place.

To prepare for a session with a counselor, try these exercises:

- Scan your skills and work experiences to determine which you've most enjoyed and which might be most transferable to other work.

- Decide if you want to stay in your current field.

- Review your goals and dreams for new job ideas.

- Read about growing industries, staying alert for those that would use your current skills.

Once you have a target in mind, it's time to confirm your choice. You can do this by networking with people in similar jobs, subscribing to industry publications and conducting informational interviews to learn how employers might respond if you were to seek work in the field.

Assuming your research is encouraging, it's time to revise your resume and cover letter to emphasize the information of interest to this market, and announcing your target to your network.

Now you are ready to connect to employers who may not be advertising, by identifying and writing directly to the appropriate department heads. Your friends can do the same thing on your behalf, thus helping you join the ranks of those who "know somebody on the inside" - which is so much more fun than being one of the hundreds who sent a hastily revised resume for an advertised job that wasn't even appealing.

If the only thing holding you back is the lack of a job target, it's time to fix that problem and move forward with your search.

Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.