by Dan Schawbel, Author of "Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success"

Whether you're a recent college graduate or an experienced veteran, these numbers are intimidating, but you can't lose hope. A recent Careerbuilder.com survey states that 41 percent of workers who were laid off from full-time jobs found a new full-time position.

The jobs are out there, but the way in which you search, discover, apply and interview for these positions has changed over the past few years. The best way to get a job now is by building your own personal brand, becoming known for a specific expertise and then networking your way into your desired job -- not just one that will pay your bills.

Americans love brands and well-known brands can command premium prices, more respect and have greater opportunities than competitors. Just like Coca Cola, the iPhone and Paris Hilton, you are also a brand and can become a rock star in your industry.

By KATE LORENZ, CAREERBUILDER.COM EDITOR

So you're well into your career, driving down the road you've always dreamed you'd be traveling, when you hit the mother of all potholes -- a layoff or company merger, a personal commitment that drains your time and energy, or perhaps a career detour that's not on your roadmap.

For some, such career glitches lead to a fulfilling accidental career they would never have considered.

For Carmin Coutee, president of Magnolia Custom Homes in Wheaton, Ill., becoming a home developer was never an aspiration. "I knew that I wanted to own my own business in the long run," she says, but was faced with one of those unforeseen glitches in her business career when her husband accepted a new job in Chicago.

Fed up with the cookie-cutter floor plans and poor workmanship they found while house-hunting in the Chicago suburbs, Coutee and her husband decided to build their family of six a home of their own design -- one styled after her Southern roots. After designing her own house and acting as her own general contractor, Coutee had found her niche. Her MBA and business experience are crucial for negotiating contracts and managing the business of creating unique, livable, Southern-style homes. "I feel that I've been given such a gift, to be able to do what I'm passionate about," she says.

By KATE LORENZ, CAREERBUILDER.COM

Amy Zucker calls herself a "serial workaholic." The president of Synergy Marketing Group, an Indianapolis-based public relations and marketing firm, Zucker regularly puts in long hours, takes few breaks and constantly thinks about the office. Zucker sees this as a commitment to her job and an indication of an innate strong work ethic and a quest for perfection that she has exhibited at every job she has held. "I do it for me," she says. "Only my best is good enough."

This level of job devotion is not for everyone and for many, working too much can have a detrimental effect on personal relationships. Zucker's current situation is unique. She runs her business with her husband and takes her dog to work, so she is able to spend time with her family in and out of the office. And her work ethic has paid off. Her business has grown to be one of Indianapolis's largest public relations agencies.

So do workaholics really get ahead? Yes and no, says Barry Zweibel, an executive/life coach based in Chicago. Zweibel works regularly with professionals who move up the ladder by putting in extra time and effort, but says he also sees the benefit of balance between work and personal time. For most people, sustaining a workaholic lifestyle long term is just not possible.

by Keith Ferrazzi, Author of "Who's Got Your Back"

Have you found yourself thinking of starting your own business? Are you trying to climb the corporate ladder while the company is working through the recession? In other words, are you aiming to be a leader?

Well, behind every great leader, at the base of every great tale of success, you will find an indispensable circle of trusted advisers, mentors and colleagues. These groups come in all forms and sizes, and can be found at every level and in nearly all spheres of both professional and personal life. What they all have in common is a unique kind of connection with each other that I've come to call "lifeline relationships."

In order to build these all-important lifeline relationships there are four core mindsets that can be learned and practiced, and help lead you on a path to personal and financial prosperity. They are: