Networking remains the key to getting a job offer

Great news on the job front for young college grads! New research shows the job market for people graduating next year will be the best in recent memory.

Employers project that they’ll be hiring 11% more Class of 2016 grads than the year before, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

If that’s you, don’t over look the power of LinkedIn. LinkedIn has had a resurgence in popularity for networking. People are now using the site to host videos that show who they are as a candidate. While Facebook has harmed a lot of reputations, people seem to be getting it right with LinkedIn.

Follow these tips to jumpstart your job search

When my daughter graduated and started looking for her first job, she was talking about looking on websites and online job boards. I told her not to waste her time with that approach.

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I believe there’s a better way: Back in 1965, people found jobs through word of mouth, relying on friends, relatives and work colleagues to help them network. We need to get back to that kind of thing, the same kind of approach people took 50 years ago. A story in BusinessWeek concurs:

‘Technology has had a somewhat perverse effect on job-hunting. The barriers to applying for work have fallen sharply: Once a résumé is created, job seekers can submit hundreds of applications online with zero or minimal extra cost,’ the publication writes. ‘The problem is that companies have responded with crude filtering devices, so many of those résumés remain unread.’

The beauty of networking is that most jobs are filled by hirers who are likely to bring in someone they know or know of for an interview. A friend of friend, a colleague of colleague. People think that networking is passé. No way. It will get you in the door. Sometimes that’s all you need to shine!

Nobody likes to be asked for a job, but everybody loves to give advice. So identify some key people in your industry who you can have a face-to-face meeting with and interview them for their career advice. Also, don’t overlook the possibilities of doing internships.

In short, any method that gets you in front of people will work. Not trying to apply electronically to somebody who doesn’t know you. Networking is core and key, every way you can think of it. That’s how it gets done.

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For more job-hunting advice, see our Jobs & Military section.