Want to Find a Job? Get out and talk to people...

From Marketwatch | Feb 8, 2010

Cisco Systems Inc., Wells Fargo & Co. and Dollar General Corp. are
among the companies who have announced significant hiring plans for
2010 -- "significant" as in planning to hire hundreds or thousands of
new employees. That's good news, and economists say that and other
signs point to an increasingly stable job market. Still, "stable" is
not the same as "growing," and at this point it will take years to
reabsorb the 8.4 million people thrown out of work since the start of
the recession.

If you're on the job hunt, your résumé is of primary importance right
now. You want to stand out from the pack, but with so many others in
the same boat -- more than six job seekers per opening -- that's a
tough proposition. Career counselors say one important strategy is to
make sure to send your résumé to the right places. That is, don't spend
your days on the computer, blanketing the world with emails. Instead,
figure out the companies that could use your specific talents, and
write a résumé that focuses on each of those company's specific needs.
Then contact the person at that firm most suited to read your résumé.

Career counselor Andrea Kay told me in a recent telephone interview
that job seekers often tell her they have no control over their
situation. She says that's not entirely true. Talking with people --
yes, the dreaded networking -- is key, and can help overcome those
feelings of powerlessness.

"People think the most direct route to a job is to send out a résumé.
It seems logical. It does get there, maybe, but you're competing with
thousands of other resumes," Kay said. "People hire people they know,
they like, they trust."

But how to become one of those trusted people? By getting referred or
by having a conversation with someone at the company. Job seekers
should spend their time meeting and talking with people, according to
Kay. "Start digging around," she said. "People will love to help you if
you ask the right questions. You say to people that you know, 'I am
trying to get into the XYZ Company, just to have a conversation. Do you
know anybody there, can you refer me to somebody there?'"

Of course, you'll still need to present a resume. Read our story for
tips on making it sing. Here's just one: Don't use the phrase
"win-win."

-- Andrea Coombes, Personal Finance editor