The 21st Century job search marketplace is constantly shifting. So are job-seekers. And so are the rules for how you can land a great employment opportunity.

In fact, today there are two marketplaces. One is the old-fashioned traditional marketplace of resumes, classified ads, website postings, agencies and recruiters, interviews and rejection letters.

The other is the hot fast-track job search marketplace of career partners, contact banks, automated interviews, professional introductions, interactive dialogs, on-the-spot employment creation and savvy negotiations.

Let me show you what I mean.

In a traditional job search, you start by putting together a resume. Your resume follows a prescribed format that includes an objective statement and your job history in a reverse chronological order. You add educational and personal data.

You take a look in the Sunday paper and comb through job openings and you check out some online job sites. You send out a few resumes and/or post them on some popular websites.

Maybe you approach a couple agencies or recruiters. If all goes well you get called in for an interview, maybe two, maybe none. The procedure is pretty straightforward.

The job youre applying for is clear-cut, too. The interviewer knows whats desirable in a candidate. At the interview you dress well, behave pleasantly, do your best to answer the questions.

If there is a match between your background and the employers needs you may advance to the next level in the decision-making process. Maybe youre called back, maybe not. If not, you may get a thanks-but-no-thanks letter. But, then, theres always the hope for another interview somewhere.

That was then. The dynamics of the 21st Century have changed everything.

OK. You can still find classified openings in the newspaper. There are still lots of agencies and recruiters at work, as well. But the marketplace has shifted dramatically.

Expectations of both employers and job-seekers have moved in decidedly new directions. For example, employers expect job-seekers to know and understand corporate goals. They want prospects to demonstrate how they can contribute.

On the other hand, job opportunities are being created on the spot and the candidate can be part of the creation process. Above-average deals are the products of above average negotiations where dollars is only one part of the total package.

Most importantly, if you want to excel, if you want a superior job with more money, if you want to select your next job rather than settle for it, you must understand and embrace the dynamics of todays job marketplace.

You do that in 2 steps:

STEP ONE: throw out everything you ever heard about how to find a job!

STEP TWO: become an expert in the exciting new skills and strategies that can propel you job-search success!