If you want to have a satisfying career and find the J.O.B. that makes you happy, you have to start thinking of yourself as the CEO of your own company. I feel like I say it a lot but I can't think of a single thing that can change your mindset and get you where you want to go in your career faster than that.

Still, I get people who come to me (very professional, well-educated and desirable hires incidentally) who have the attitude that they have to beg for a job or they have to settle for something. It is simply not true.

But, in their defense, the whole job search as we know it feeds into that mentality perfectly. Those of you working and gainfully employed - great! Those of you out of a job and looking for work - not so great and you must bow down to our wishes and live your days under our mercy.

So, how do you start thinking of yourself as your own CEO - or even better, as a must-have product that if someone does not snatch up now may experience irreparable damage? I recommend three things:

1. Dust off the old resume and throw it out. That's right - I give you permission to burn all of the hard work you put into crafting that resume 5 years ago and start over. People tend to hang on to resumes for a long time and just do some updating and the occasional edit here and there. I think you should start over with this new found understanding that you are the CEO of your own corporation. Think about the 5 greatest work related accomplishment you have achieved in the past 5-7 years and focus your resume around that. You have to be different than the other 200 people or more who send in their resume.

Remember your resume is one of your primary pieces of marketing material - not a place you show every thought, feeling, or action you have taken since you got your first job at the Dairy Queen when you were 14. Make it relevant and think about the reaction you want to get if someone out in cyber land gets sent your resume to look at. Do they want to learn more about you or are they snoozing after 10 seconds, which is incidentally longer than most people will look at them. Highlight your accomplishments and experiences (in measurable terms if possible) rather than giving a laundry list of job tasks.

2. Next, get that tired old cover letter out and rework it so that instead of boring them with a phrase like "as reflected in my resume, you will see that I have.....", (Snooooooooore) you hook them in with the good old fashioned sales letter. Cover letters are unexciting, whereas good sales letters could get you to buy a skirt for a monkey. You are the product so sell yourself. Your headline might be something like this "How a former history teacher boosted sales by 47% for (name the company) in his first year as (job title). Then, in no longer than one page, explain how you are the best solution to their problem. What is your USP? Make sure you can articulate it orally and in the written word or you will find yourself in the pile of "also ran".

3. Finally you must get out there and get involved. Let people know what you want to do and how you plan on doing it. Avoid the temptation to sit comfortably at your computer and check out job postings. Remember, you are no longer looking for a job - you are looking for an opportunity that will allow you to share your gifts and your solutions with others and YOU are the ONLY person who can do it. Think of it this way. If you had this product that you knew was a winner and you knew that the more people had it, the more successful and productive they would be, would you keep it from them? No way. You would get it in front of as many targeted prospects as you could. This is no different. YOU have the solution to their problem. Brian, Inc. or whoever you are has something to offer. Find out who needs you and consider them lucky to have you.

The bottom line is to think of your tired old job search in a new way. You are selling yourself. You are a product and you need to convey your USP so they know you are the best solution possible. Take a chance and think of new ways to present yourself.

For more tips and strategies on finding the right job for you, go to http://www.coachmelani.typepad.com/ Melani Ward is a career coach and the founder of Career Fitness. She works with 30-somethings on career discovery and development, resume and job interviewing strategies, and setting and achieving goals. To learn more, go to http://www.mycareerfitness.com