By George Blomgren

I have a good friend who lost his job last Friday - he was downsized. The way he reacted to this trauma is inspirational.

He got up at his normal time the following Monday morning. He showered, shaved, and put on his business clothes. He started working the phone immediately; calling everyone he could think of - friends, colleagues from previous employers, clients, vendors, church members. His basic request to each person was, "Can we sit down for a few minutes so you can share any thoughts you might have about my situation?" Tactfully implicit in this request was, of course, "If you know of any opportunities, I'd love to hear about them."

There are many things worth noting in his story. By getting an early start Monday and dressing for work, he kept his momentum going. Additionally, he clearly understood that job hunting is a very important full time activity, and should be approached as such. He also recognized and tapped into the full breadth of the network available to him - potentially, almost anyone he knew.

He refused to fall into the "victim mentality" which would have been so easy after being axed - a mentality that can be terribly counter-constructive to a job seeker.

Perhaps the most important point about this story is that everyone he networked with could only be impressed by the work ethic, the positive spirit and the gumption he showed by climbing right back into the saddle.

It paid off quickly. After hearing from him, I confidently reached out to several of my colleagues who I thought would have something to offer. Many of his other networking leads felt likewise. Less than one week later, he already had several actual job opportunities targeted, and interviews arranged.

I confidently predict his biggest challenge won't be finding another job quickly. It will be choosing between various lucrative and tempting offers.

It reminds me of a great quote I heard recently about sales. (Remember: job hunting is an exercise in sales and marketing. You're the product and interviewers are potential customers.) The quote I heard - one that applies to my friend - was "In a sales situation, the customer's perception of value comes not so much from what you are selling as how you are selling it."

George Blomgren is an Operations Manager with The Benefit Companies. He's been on both sides of the table, and now that he's on the hiring side, he's sharing his secrets of success to gainful employment.