The exact conversion rate of normal time to unemployed time has still yet to be precisely determined, though it’s known intimately by the throngs of the not-employed-as-of-yet. Hours feel like days. Days feel like weeks.

Phrases like, “We’ll get back to you soon,” almost always mean a time that exceeds all expectations of human decency. Being unemployed is miserable. It means nights devoid of sleep and full of worry.

It means slowly declining savings and trying to figure out health care. It leads to anxiety, stress, frustration, and even depression. It’s possible to get stuck in this situation. Don’t let this happen to you.

Here are four specific methods I’ve learned and applied during a recent period of unemployment. They aren’t things I heard about or thought of in the shower. They are strategies I’ve actively used and have found to be useful. I wish someone had told me about them much earlier in my career.

1. Maintain a Routine

One of the most important tools to have in place during your job search is a regular and unvarying routine. The impetus is on you to find the job you want and so it’s going to be on you to put in more effort and more time than any one job will require. You’re fishing in a large sea, and your nets have to be broad.

For me, searching the public sector, it was a bookmarked folder on my laptop where I continually added different human resources pages. Job-posting aggregation sites are great but aren’t always 100 percent reliable.

Most important, no matter what the status of your job search, do a standard search at regular intervals. Finding the right job might be as easy as checking the right site at the right time.

At one point, it was the accepted norm to go door-to-door with a resume in hand. You might hear this remark from people giving you job search advice, and I urge you to realize: Things have changed.

You need appointments and you need to go through the proper channels because all of the advantage rests with employers. They have an enormous pool of candidates to choose from and can afford to take their time. The most effective way to combat your inherent disadvantage is to routinely and efficiently check your long list of job sources.

2. Network, Network, Network

The art of networking is invaluable in the public sector. Many new prospective employees, myself once included, are under the impression that following the rules, applying for a position, and meeting all the requirements is the surest way to eventually get placed. The truth is extremely different.

Every viable job interview I’ve ever had is because I knew somebody in the organization. Even if it’s purely through e-mail or phone contact, it puts you miles ahead of the competition. Because human resources departments are made up of people just like the rest of us, having a coworker vouch for you will give you a huge psychological advantage.

Forming this network will put many new job seekers outside of their comfort zone, but those who do will have something else distinguishing them from the crowd. For me, it was a lot of cold e-mails and invitations to what I called “informational lunches.”

These work to their best effect when you’re currently employed as the people you’re contacting aren’t instinctively suspicious that you’re simply trying to get something out of them for yourself.

Even if you are unemployed, however, I’d highly recommend scheduling these lunches. Inviting prominent members of your professional arena out to lunch to talk about their opinions opens up opportunities for future contact and added benefit.

Always offer and be prepared to pay for the lunch, even though you rarely will. Local government officials remember starting out and often want to help. Make sure to be as flexible and accommodating as possible as these meetings are often completely benevolent and charitable on their part.

3. Ace the Application

This is your knock on your future employer’s door. To me, more than anything, it means making sure every detail is right. In my experience, people rarely get hired because of their application, but many are disqualified because of it.

Ensure that you make it to the next step by not giving them a reason to “red flag” you. I’ve heard people suggest various creative and attention-grabbing methods to get an employer to notice you. I do not recommend this strategy.

You want to impress them with your professionalism and relevant experience and then wow them with your intangibles in the interview.

Make sure you meet the minimum requirements (or are close enough that you can argue stretching it) and focus your argument around the job description. They’ve told you what they’re looking for in a candidate; show them why that’s you.

Do not overreach if you decide to apply for multiple positions at one organization. You may be tempted to apply for anything you think you can talk your way into, but taking a shotgun approach to applying just shows that employer you’re willing to take anything and are therefore not that concerned with the actual details of the position. This is the last thing employers want in someone they’re going to hire.

Applying for a position is a lot like dating. Someone who has low standards and who will date anyone will often not be seen as a high-quality match. Those who hold themselves to be of higher quality and who are selective about where they’ll work attract those looking for high-quality employees.

4. Shine in the Interview

I’m not going to tell you that one specific approach will guarantee you a job offer. Do what feels natural to you and let your personality shine through. Distinguish yourself.

The interviewers have most likely had the exact same interview with others and having another vanilla experience will quickly lead to your fading into the background. You want to stand out in the best way possible.

One piece of advice that I’ve found to be useful is to always find a way to turn your negatives into positives. Try to never answer a “Do you know how to X?” question with, “No, I don’t, but…”

Your entire answer is now framed by the fact that you fail to know a skill that’s required. Instead, think of everything you’ve done that relates to what they’re talking about and tie it in. Never simply say, “No, I don’t.”

Never, ever, under any circumstances, should you not have questions to ask the employer at the end of the interview. The employer should have the lead for the first 75 percent of the interview, while you take the final 25 percent.

The interviewers have been through several applicants and have asked all of the same questions. This is your chance to stand out and be remembered for your thoughtful questions and research. Three questions in particular that I’ve found to be useful are:

• Why is this particular position open?
• If offered this position, what would my first six months look like? What projects would I get to work on right away?
• What’s one quality that this position absolutely has to have and what’s one quality that it absolutely cannot have?

These particular questions open up the interviewer to talk about their opinions. They also show that you also care about what you’re getting back from the organization. Ask the questions that show you’re not just another job-post clicker who thought, “Hey, I could probably do this for that amount of money.”

Interviewers do not want to hire that person. Do not come across as that person.

From experience, I know these four methods work and are helpful. I know they can help you, too. Implement them and add them to your skill set.

While writing this article, after six months of frustration and disappointment, I was offered a job that is everything I could have hoped for. You, too, will see this day happen.

Be stubborn to the point of ridiculousness, and then keep pushing. It can be done.