Job Search Success: The Human Touch

As a direct result of all the hype surrounding the Internet's role in the job search process, too many job seekers are relying on technology to find them a job the easy way. However, statistics show that networking remains the best way to find a job because 80 to 85 percent of available jobs are never advertised. Why?

Because someone learns about them, applies for them, and closes the sale before the employer decides it's time to go looking for candidates. As wonderful as technology is when you're hunting for a job, a successful job search will incorporate both electronic techniques and networking. In other words, the "human touch" is still important.

Who can you network with? Your list of potential contacts can be divided into two categories: personal and professional. The bulk of your efforts should be focused on contacting people in your professional network, because they can help you the most. Your professional network can include coworkers (current and former), customers, contacts in industry or professional associations, suppliers, and headhunters you've worked with throughout your career. Tell all these people that you're looking for a job. Call the ones you personally know and ask if they're aware of any jobs in your field, and if they can ask members of their professional network the same thing. Offer to send them your resume.

For maximum success, it's important to set networking goals. The more people you contact, the better. Set goals such as: Today I will post my resume to 5 industry-specific job sites ... By Friday, I will respond to 30 job openings ... Today I will call 10 Headhunters that I know (or 10 HR managers from companies I want to work with).

Following up with your contacts is another key component of your networking success. You can use contact management software for this, or go the low-tech route and use index cards or paper. Track all contacts, including calls you made, and anyone who called you about your job search. Note their contact information, whether you sent a resume, important points from your conversation, and any new leads that person provided. Send thank-you notes to people who helped you out, to remind them about your search and reinforce their memory of your request.