I don't want to admit how hard this is

Good Monday morning,

You just can't believe it.

After the years of studying, and paying your dues, and working your way up the corporate totem pole, you've decided that's it's time to find new horizons, a new environment, a new place where you can spread your wings and fly... a new gig.

I mean, it's been years and years of working and who knows how many tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars you've already put into your career. In some sense, it's the most important investment you've ever made — that investment in yourself to become one of the top professionals in America. When you're making over $100,000 per year, you're in the top 10% of the American workforce, and it sure feels like it has been a slog to get here. So you can't admit to yourself how hard this job change thing is. It's simply unfathomable that your experience, your insights and background and connections, have led you to this: the job hunt that you can't figure out.

You're supposed to be the bread-winner of the family, or at least a big contributor. Your spouse, your kids, your dog... it's just assumed by everybody (including you) that you'll take care of them.

And so now that you're supposed to have it all together and calm and cool and in the bag and you don't, what are you supposed to do? With this job search stuff, how are you supposed to know? With your career and your sanity in the balance, how are you supposed to find your next job?

It's difficult to admit to yourself how hard this is.

You know, doing something new in any other aspect of your life is pretty straightforward.

You want to learn golf, you take a few lessons and hit the links. You want to install a garage door, you surf the net and follow the instructions.

But now that you're faced with finding a new livelihood... it seems like there's nothing to help.

So, look, Readers, there are only two ways through this thing: hard work and a plan to get smarter and smarter about what it takes to succeed in the job hunt.

For the hard work, I'm going to have to count on you to put in the hours and the effort to get there.

For the smarts that you need to succeed, we can help. We've hired the best writers here at TheLadders to craft for you literally hundreds of articles on almost every facet of the job search.

So I thought I'd pull fifty of the best articles we've written recently and share them with you in order to get your 2011 job search off on the right foot. Don't try to read them all at once — just pick one article per day and before long, you'll feel much more comfortable, secure and smart in your high-end job hunt...

1. The 24-Step Modern Resume
2. How to Reapply After a Rejection
3. How to Make Your Job Search More Like a Job
4. How Not to Follow Up After a Job Interview
5. Finding a Job Without a College Degree
6. 9 Resume Tips Hiring Managers Wished Creative Pros Knew
7. Follow Up Without Being a Pest
8. How to Leverage Social Networking to Get Your Next Job
9. What to Expect on a Second and Third Interview
10. The Letter to Write When You Don't Get the Job
11. Job Seekers of a Certain Age
12. Why Have You Been Out of Work So Long?
13. Resume Advice: Who to Ask
14. Your Business Card
15. Smoothing Out a Bumpy Work History
16. A Hard Look at Soft Skills
17. Will Companies Still Pay You to Relocate?
18. From the Resume Trash Pile to the Call-Now Pile
19. Throw out the Job Description
20. How to Write an Effective Resignation Letter
21. What the Recruiter Sees
22. Mining Unique Traits for Your Resume
23. How to Address a Layoff on Your Resume
24. Apply and Network in One Step
25. Don't Overlook Human Resources
26. Following Up On an Anonymous Posting
27. How Full-Time Parents Can Reclaim a Full-Time Job
28. How to Hide Your Job Search From Your Boss
29. Your Dates of Employment Might Be Hiding Your Resume
30. Alumni Networking Rules
31. Persistent or Annoying?
32. Prep Your 30-, 60-, 90-day Business Plan for the Job Interview
33. Gracefully Decline a Job Offer
34. Should I Stay or Should I Go?
35. Are Video Resumes Ready for Their Closeup?
36. Refresh Your Industry for 2011 Before You Have To
37. A Move Down the Job Ladder Might Give You a Leg Up
38. Acing the Phone Interview: Talk Time
39. Computer-Assisted Interviewing
40. Pick an Industry Before It Blows Up
41. Taking Notes in the Job Interview
42. Using Diversity to Your Advantage
43. Careers in Flux: A Tale of Two IT Pros
44. Caught Looking for a Job
45. How to Spot a Job Scam
46. 7 Steps to Consider Before You Start Consulting
47. Confidence and Preparation Trump Recession
48. Fast-Acting Resume
49. Hiring Manager's Brain Exposed
50. How to Negotiate for a Severance Package

OK, folks, good luck with getting smarter and getting motivated this week in your job search!

Warmest regards,

Marc Cenedella, Founder & CEO, TheLadders.com

Follow me on Twitter here.

Author's note:

I've been writing these newsletters weekly for almost a decade in order to provide you with the advice, encouragement, and assistance you need in your professional job hunt. I'll take what we've learned at TheLadders during the week, or experiences I've had with job-seekers all over the country, and try to find a usable lesson, a valuable insight, or a helpful tip to share with you on Monday morning (my writing deadline is 3 p.m. every Sunday afternoon).

I do read your replies to this newsletter. Because of the volume of replies — typically over 1,000 per week — I'm unable to answer you personally, but one of our very qualified staff from our Job Search Support team will get back to you — most of the time within three hours or less.

As I am interested in every reply I get, I'll also occasionally reach out directly by phone or by email to say thanks, or ask a question, or to see how we can solve your problem better. Thanks for reading!