A recent Networking Roundtable for job seekers held at my office included a mix of people.

There were those who kept bumping into the issue of “over qualified”, and felt that age was definitely an issue that was prolonging their job search.

There was a recent university graduate and a community college student, both of whom lacked in the experience category and felt they missed out on jobs because they were “under qualified.”

And finally, there were two individuals who probably had the right amount of experience but who wanted to change industries and lacked specific industry experience.

All of these job seekers felt they were operating under less than ideal circumstances in a tough market.

Surprise! In my experience, there are very few job seekers who have the perfect credentials for today’s job market. As I listened to each person’s story, I could see possibilities for each one and quickly realized that in every case, he or she had neglected one key criteria of a successful job search: Sell what you have!

By selling what you have, I mean identifying your most promising skills, experience and expertise and then presenting it in a way that is very attractive to those people and organizations most likely to be interested.

The new college graduate could sell her enthusiasm and freshly minted degree. She should be comfortable talking about what she gained from her college experience and convey a desire take on entry-level assignments.

The community college student could sell his willingness to try new things, as evidenced by his recent internship with the city of Salinas. He could also capitalize on his ability to pick up new technology quickly and his energy and youth.

Those so called “over qualified” individuals need to shift gears and present themselves as “well qualified.” Their presentation, marketing materials, and conversation should demonstrate their strong qualifications and target organizations most in need of their expertise.

And what about those individuals with the right amount of experience but in the wrong field? In both instances, they could make a case for the value of bringing an outside perspective to the industry. After all, that is exactly why Coca-Cola and other Fortune 500 companies hire executives from outside the industry.

Changing the way you look at and present yourself requires some forethought. It compels you to examine your background, skills and experience and re-craft your message to clearly communicate your expertise and the benefits of hiring you.

It demands that you research those individuals and organizations most likely to need what you have to offer. Finally, it requires that you take the reins and proactively seek out the business connections you desire.

What you might have noticed is that finding a job is no longer like shooting fish in a barrel. Those days are gone. It takes more initiative and ingenuity to connect the job search dots.

One individual at the Networking Roundtable confessed to spending as much as six hours a day online looking for opportunities. I don’t think he was alone in taking that approach.

Imagine the gasp around the room when I suggested not to spending more than two hours a week looking at job postings online. Yes, there is a lot of hype about finding a job online, but the truth is most hiring managers would rather hire through a personal connection because it is more likely to lead to a successful, long-term employment relationship.

Once you know what you have to sell and have a marketing approach that supports your strategy, focus on connecting with and building personal relationships with the individuals most likely to need your expertise.