In my never-ending quest to help you get hired fast, I uncovered three slightly offbeat ways to find a job this week.

Let's dive right in.

1) Turn Rejections Into Job Interviews
Good old-fashioned persistence and quick thinking paid off big for one reader, Joe L. in Pennsylvania, who was hired by the same person who turned him down.

It happened like this.

"My parents sent me news of a job opening by email. Timing is everything timing, so I quickly responded by email with a cover letter and resume," says Joe.

"The president called to say that I was not qualified for the position, but I kept talking. After a brief discussion, during which I gave him some business ideas and posed questions as if I were networking, he invited me in for an interview."

The results?

"They created a position and presented an offer a couple days after our meeting. Total time between the first e-mail contact and job offer was seven business days."

Your Takeaway Lesson: Try to turn every phone call into a meeting, even if that phone call is to reject you for a job!

Remember that the goal of all your job search efforts, from sending out resumes to networking, is to get an in-person interview with someone who can hire you. In Joe's case, that someone was the company president, who created a job for him on the spot.

2) Walk Right In, Sit Right Down
Robbie Brawner Ouzts, Director of Career Services at Oglethorpe University, tells the story of a gung-ho job seeker who hit pay dirt thanks to a case of mistaken identity.

"An administrative professional, we'll call her, 'Shirley,' got so frustrated after sending out resumes with no response that she decided to call on companies in person," says Ouzts.

At 10:00 one morning, she strode into the lobby of a local business. Unknown to her, the hiring manager was expecting another woman for a job interview at that very moment.

"Shirley walked in and looked dressed for an interview, so the employer thought it was his 10:00 appointment. He started talking to her and thought she was wonderful," says Ouzts.

After 10 minutes, the hiring manager realized his mistake, but Shirley handed him her resume for review. The interview continued and she got the job as an office manager.

What about that candidate who was originally scheduled to interview at 10:00?

"She never did show up," says Ouzts.

Your Takeaway Lesson: You can literally make your own luck if you get proactive and seek out hiring managers in person.

If you're reluctant to cold call employers face-to-face, you have company. The thought can be intimidating. But not as intimidating as losing your house after being out of work for 12 months while you waited for the phone to ring with job offers.

3) Don't Forget The Fax
In this Age of Email, you can still get hired using a lower-tech tool: the fax machine.

It's how reader David S. from New York found work fast this year after he was laid off from his collections position.

"I honed up my resume, gathered up all my old fax numbers from previous resume submittals and started a Rolodex," says David.

"Next I did a category search at www.superpages.com for 'employment,' which brought up employment agencies, and I inserted a 50-mile parameter from my home. This list contained about 3,000 phone and fax numbers, and some email addresses."

David blasted his resume once to the employment agency e-mail addresses in his Rolodex. Next, he went to his local career center (every state has them) and faxed his resume to every fax number he had.

What happened?

"Inside of about two weeks, I landed a lucrative salary and commission-based collector position," says David. The hiring manager had seen his faxed resume.

Your Takeaway Lesson: Use all the tools at your disposal, from the Web and email to the fax and phone. If you don't have all the gadgetry you need at home, see what the government can provide. Here in Minnesota, the Workforce Centers offer free local assistance - find them at http://www.mnwfc.org

Now go out and make your own luck!

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Kevin Donlin owns and operates Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1995, he has provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients on five continents.

Kevin has been interviewed by WCCO and WLTE radio, and KMSP TV, among others. His articles have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Twin Cities Employment Weekly and others.

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