If you believe all the news hype, it must seem like every second person you meet is looking for a job. In truth, there are always lots of people looking—either actively searching or just window-shopping to see what’s out there.

So how do you make yourself stand out—in a good way? Here are three steps to get noticed.

1. Get clear on what you’re looking for. Are you in full survival mode, with the wolf at the door and burning the furniture to keep warm, or do you have a little time to look around? If you’re not teetering on the edge, take some time to drill down and figure out what you really want to do. Then establish yourself as an expert in that area.

2. Be the expert. Once you’ve settled on your field of work, start promoting yourself. Set up a blog and write about constitutional law, or rainforests, or whatever you’ve decided your life’s work will be. Research other blogs on that topic; visit and leave comments. Get to know the other players in your arena and start making a name for yourself. Overhaul your profile on LinkedIn and spend some time in the “answers” section, posing and answering questions in your area of expertise. Set yourself up on AllExperts.com and do the same thing. Write articles and submit them to online directories like EzineArticles.com. Use your Twitter account to provide information as well as to get to know other people who are interested in the same area. Set up a Facebook page or group and interact with people there. Start your own social network on Ning.

3. Watch your words. When you’re doing all of the above, be conscious of how you are using words that reflect your chosen field. Make sure your resume, blog, tweets, articles and everything else are rich in the keywords that generate attention from search engines. It doesn’t matter how knowledgable you are if no one can find you on google.

There are lots of other ways to brand yourself as an expert. Readers…please share some of your own and add to this list.