First you need to target and focus your search very specifically before you go off on a job search. If you go to an employer expecting him to orient you to the exactly right job for you, you’re sadly mistaken. That responsibility squarely rests on you, and following up on these three steps: checking out the newspapers first, then looking at job web sites and third, finding a good career center that does one-on-one counseling.

NEWPAPERS: Since you only specified the career you have apparently left, which is advertising, let’s assume you want to apply your skills in the technology field but are uncertain as to where you would fit. Start by opening the major Sunday papers in your area. For you, it’s the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, the Contra Costa Times, even the Oakland Tribune, but the major newspapers of any area will do. Don’t just scan the jobs that are advertised. Don’t forget to read the business section as well since this will give you a better feeling for the kinds of jobs that companies are hiring for in your area. In fact some companies give you a listing of all public companies in the area on one day and their track record and also private companies on another day. You may need to telephone the business editor to find out what days of the week contain which features. Also see if there are other business publications that cover companies in your location: For the Bay Area there’s a series of Business Times newspapers: San Francisco Business Times, Contra Costa Business Times, and so on.

WEBSITES: Then, go to a site called "AskJeeves," www.askjeeves.com and ask the questions: Jobs in San Francisco or Career Centers in San Francisco. You’ll get a lot of information to help you get started, probably more than you need but plowing through these sites will give you a good feeling for the types of jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area, the qualifications you’ll need to get them and which companies are hiring. You’ll also see that the competition is pretty stiff and you might need to take some courses or work on your resume and interview style before you get yourself out there.

CAREER CENTERS: Next, there are several excellent career centers in the San Francisco Bay Area: Alumnae Resources in San Francisco at 120 Montgomery St, the Career Action Center in Silicon Valley, and the Career Center at John F. Kennedy University in Walnut Creek, CA (also known as the East Bay). Incidentally, "Ask Jeeves" leads you to a site called Information Resources that will sell you a profile of Alumnae Resources for $5., but you can also get most of this information for free: Go to a search engine called "HotBot," www.hotbot.com. Type in Alumnae Resources and select "More Search Options." Type in San Francisco and voila! You’ll soon see www.ar.org and may other sites for Alumnae Resources. Obviously, this applies to finding other career centers in other cities. For example, through HotBot, you can reach the "Career Action Center" in San Jose, CA.

If you don’t know any career centers in your area, you can find one that is reputable and also non-profit by calling the career center of the best-known college or university in your area and asking whether you can use their career center and counselors. If they say "no," then ask for the best career centers they know for adults in the area. Also ask them for a list of publications, newspapers, magazines, etc. that will help you find good companies and job listings. That way you’ll stay away from expensive and potentially less useful resources. In short, you be prepared to do the research. Don’t farm it out to anyone else.