Networking is one of the most effective ways of finding a high paying position in this job market, but networking the right way relative to six-figure job seeking goes well beyond giving your friends copies of your resume or asking them if they know of anyone who is hiring.

To get an employer's attention and keep it, you need to understand that hiring managers listen to the station WIIFM - What's In It For Me. Keep in mind throughout all communication with a decision maker that an employer is hiring you for how you can affect their bottom line and how you can pay for yourself - and the quicker the better.

This week, I'm going to suggest an answer to a common interview question that will give you a huge competitive advantage.

I realize sometimes you just put off starting your executive job search because you don't even know where to begin.

Today, I want you to picture yourself in your perfect job. It's a better fit than where you are now, you're making more money, you have more responsibility and room for growth. It may even be closer to home. It's in a growing industry and you're fully challenged every day. 

When putting together your six figure job search strategy, there's one thing you need to keep in mind. Until an employer knows you - until anyone knows you - you are nothing but a commodity. Like a can of soup in an aisle of 600 cans of soup.

There are a lot of reasons people fail in the search for a six figure job, and there are fewer reasons why they succeed.

When you're networking and you explain what type of job you're looking for, if the person you're talking to doesn't know of any openings for that job, then you're out of luck. You may also be one of thirty Sales Directors in a room. So today, I want to give you a method of introducing yourself that will make you memorable, and will expand your audience's perception of your capabilities.

I've referred to job searching before as being a lot like baseball, where you have to run all of the bases, step by step, before you can win the game and start the job. But most six figure job seekers I see are throwing their balls, catching a few and running around, but not performing these methodically in any way. It ends up looking a lot like a ballgame warm-up.

If it's been more than five years since you've looked for a job, it's important that you understand the current convergence of three forces in the marketplace: economic, social and technological. The Perfect Storm of these three forces has transformed how you conduct an effective six-figure career search.