Be memorable.

Job tip sites are great. If I don't say so myself.

Why?

These resources provide ongoing ideas, instruction, motivation and other lofty thoughts on how to find meaningful careers that, with a little luck, pay all kinds of moolah. At the very least, they give you some guidance on how to find a reasonably worthwhile j-o-b.

All good.

But in thinking about it, I truly believe the secret to building a career that makes you do a little "Hurray, it's Monday morning!" dance every week boils down to one thing:

Be memorable.

Seriously. Think about the players in your professional (or personal) life that you truly admire. The one's that pop RIGHT into your mind as I suggest this. (Thus, by definition, they're memorable.)

What makes them so? You are the only one who can answer that with specificity. But my guess is that they possess many of these qualities:

• They are authentic. You KNOW that their talk is the same as their walk. And this draws you in to them.
• They are proactive. These people got where they are because they raise their hands, open doors, and don't ever, never wait for the world to give them permission to move forward or try something new.
• They are honest. Liars make it so far, for only so long. And then the gig is typically up.
• They help others. Even when it gives them no known benefit. They just do it.
• They engage. They seek out others, they discuss, they ask questions, they participate rather than hunker down in a cubicle hoping to God no one talks to them.
• They're resilient. Bad stuff happens to all of us, even the memorable ones. Watch how they deal with the bad stuff.
• They have a plan. Certainly, the plan doesn't have to be etched in stone (in fact, way better when a plan isn't), but these people operate according to a roadmap. And you can tell.
• They're original. Perhaps the biggest factor. We can read "how to" lists and digest volumes of tutorials on how to do just about anything until we're blue in the face. In fact, memorable people probably do this just as much as the rest of us. But then, guess what? They set the blather down, and do their own unique thing. Without apologies.

Something to ponder as you create your job search strategy, learn how to leverage social media, network your ass off, re-do your resume, call your recruiter, pray to the job gods, and figure out what you want to be when you grow up:

Be Memorable.