The September issue of Oprah Magazine features four women at various stages of their careers: the stay at home mom returning to work, the single mom laid off from her position and seeking a new challenge, the recent college graduate looking for her big break, and the boomer trying to make a career transition later in life.

I was fortunate to work with these women along with colleagues Louise Fletcher and Nancy Collamer to help them create a strategic job search plan. While each one has a different end goal, the course they need to take is in many ways the same. Here are some of the top tips shared with the women.

1. Ask for information rather than a job. When you ask someone if they know if anyone is hiring there is a simple yes/no response (usually no) which leaves the conversation at a standstill. Instead of asking about job openings, ask your contacts if they would be willing to talk to you to share information…about an industry, a company, a recruiter or whatever else will help get you one step closer to the ultimate hiring manager. Asking for a jobs can make the other person feel uncomfortable; asking for information can be flattering.
2. Get on LinkedIn. With 60M+ users LinkedIn has become a “must have” resource for recruiters searching for top talent. If you aren’t on LinkedIn, recruiters may come to the conclusion that you are not current, not serious, or not good enough at what you do to be in the running for their openings.
3. Be on-message. Prepare a succinct, compelling pith about what you are looking for and why you are qualified. Keep this message consistent in your resume, your online profiles, and your conversations.
4. Reach out to companies directly. Do you dream of working for Google, Starbucks, JPMorgan Chase, or the Red Cross? If so, let the employer know that. More and more companies are filling positions through employee referrals and social networking and many never even post their open positions. Become an insider by reaching out to companies and expressing your interest before they have a job opening. If you can become top of mind with them, you increase the likelihood of being considered, should a position become available, or better still of having a position created for you based on the outstanding value the employer thinks you could bring to the organization.

After several weeks of job search preparation, (and some fabulous hair, makeup, and wardrobe makeovers courtesy of Oprah Magazine’s creative team), the women are out working their contacts, setting up networking meetings and interviews, forwarding resumes, and working with recruiters.

You can read more about each woman’s transformation by picking up the September issue (sorry, no link currently available) on newstands now.