This is where the jobs are.

• Position: Health care industry employment

There is a bright spot in the U.S. employment picture: the health care industry. Health care employers have been adding an average 27,000 jobs a month since December 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.

"Finding work in health care is definitely getting easier, but the extra competition means you'll need more than credentials to land those jobs," advises Stephanie Roberson Barnard, a communications consultant and coauthor of Listen. Write. Present: The Elements for Communicating Science and Technology.

"Check any online job-hunting website for science, technical, pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical jobs and you'll find one common requirement: 'excellent communication skills.'"

The science-rich education required for health care professionals leaves little room for learning how to craft a message for a particular audience, be it an e-mail or a PowerPoint presentation, and that is essential not only for getting jobs, but for keeping them and winning promotions.

Barnard and coauthor Deborah St. James, deputy director of publications and communications for a North Carolina biotech company, offers these tips for getting your message across:

* Plan. Take time to get to know your clients, colleagues, and coworkers. Establish rapport and cultivate a collaborative relationship by finding out about others' interests and inquiring about them. Always keep your personal conversations light and professional.

* Listen. Smile, nod, and acknowledge the speaker--and mean it. Really focus on what the person is...