Job hunting is a lot like fishing. You might get lucky and land the big one on your first attempt. On the other hand, you could invest a lot of time and effort casting out numerous applications and end up having nothing to show for it. No one can guarantee either will happen, but there are ways to improve your chances.

When I was a kid I did a lot of fishing in my summer holidays. For years it was all about luck. Find some water, bait a hook, cast the line ... and hope. When an uncle of mine started joining us on our holidays, he taught me how to be a bit smarter about my fishing. Later, as a recruitment consultant, I realised that much of what my uncle had shared with me is relevant to the typical job search.

Be clear about the job you want

Effective fishing means using the right bait with the right equipment - especially the right-sized hook - for the type of fish you are trying to catch. The same applies to job search.

The tone of your application letters, the detail and emphasis in your resume, the way you dress for, and answer questions in, the interview. All of these will be different, dependent on whether you are going for a CEO role or a junior administrative role, or something in between.

Target specific industries and companies

My uncle taught me the importance of finding good spots to fish: rock-pools, deep water channels, sheltered areas, and so on. Job hunting is the same: the more targeted you can be, the more chance you give yourself of landing the ideal role.

Find out which organisations are most active in your desired industry and approach them. Read trade magazines to become familiar with what is going on and who's who. Apply directly to your 'dream' employers: whether they are actively advertising or not.

Ask around

Perhaps the most important thing I learnt from my uncle was the importance of local knowledge. We were always asking the locals where we should fish. Sure, they may have sent us to the second-best place and kept the best to themselves, but we were still better off than all those 'random' fishers.

The lesson: don't be afraid to ask. Ask former colleagues, customers and others in your industry what they know. Ask people who report the news in your industry. Ask friends and neighbours.

Advertise yourself

Fishing was a topic of camping conversation whether we were actually fishing or not. My uncle would always be chatting to people and he would always, in these chats, turn the conversation to fishing. Nearly every time, he was able to glean additional local information as a result.

You can use a similar strategy when searching for a new job, particularly if you've been made redundant. The important thing is not to keep your situation to yourself. Let people know, when the chance arises, what your situation is. Your local community, former bosses, pretty much anyone. When you do this, you effectively gain an army of job search assistants and increase your chances of finding out about the plum job that hasn't even been advertised.

Use technology to help

Walk into a modern fishing supplies shop and you'll realise that the pastime has moved well past the era of a hook hanging from a stick. While it's easy to go overboard, the fishing experience can be made much more pleasant through use of some quite inexpensive, readily available tools.

The modern job hunt is no different. There are job search websites, networking tools like LinkedIn and Twitter, and all sorts of resume-building and personality-testing widgets out there to try. You may not use them all, but do spend some time getting to know what's there so you can make a considered decision about where to invest your time.

Job hunting need not be a completely random hit-and-miss affair. By using the proven strategies of others, you'll greatly increase your chances of catching a prize-sized job in a short time.