A common temptation when you're looking through the want ads is to respond to every ad that describes a job that interests you . (Never mind that you're not qualified or are way overqualified.) You figure that you have nothing to lose. And, hey, you never know: You could get lucky.

Put a blank on this impulse. Discipline yourself to apply only for those jobs that meet the following criteria:

• The job, as described, genuinely interests you.
• Your qualifications, background, credentials, and skills match up reasonably well with those that the position requires, based on the way the ad is worded.
• If you were eventually offered the position, you would be in a position to accept it -- given the salary it pays and the special requirements (travel, for example) it entails.

The reason you need to take all these criteria into account when you are deciding which ads to answer can be summed up in one word: efficiency. It makes no sense to pursue any lead for a job that, for whatever reason, you're not going to be able to take. And it is equally foolish to squander time and effort responding to job leads when you don't have any of the credentials or skills specifically mentioned in the ad.