Networking when your searching for a job

Promotion isn’t limited to what businesses do as part of their marketing strategy, sometimes it needs to be done for you.

Recently I read an article tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/06/03/job-sites-are-they-worth-it/ on talking to recruiters and their use of the big job boards. Surprisingly many weren’t that excited to staff their positions using these sites. Also the more senior the position, the less likely they are to use the major job boards.

This could still be some residue from when the economy was booming and recruiters all wanted passive talent. The thought was if someone was looking for a job then they didn’t want that candidate, instead, they wanted to reach out to those that weren’t actively looking.

So the question is if you aren’t going to find your next job on a job board, where can you go. It’s time to go back to basics and that’s your friends, family and business associates. There isn’t the stigma attached to being out of work like there is in a good economy. Everyone has seen really great people lose their jobs for reasons that have nothing to do with their performance.

The idea is not to be embarrassed, tell everyone you know that you are looking. Go to linked in and change your status, even make sure to update your facebook, twitter or any other social sites you use to let them know your available and they type of job you want.

Don’t forget to get out and network. It’s easy to rely on the internet but sometimes the best contact is face to face. Look for groups that meet that let you talk with others in companies you might want to join so that you can find out if they are hiring and who is the best person to contact.

Many local newspapers are hosting these types of events or job fairs as ways to recruit to offset the decline in print recruitment advertising. Another possibility is your local chamber of commerce to see if they host business card exchanges or workshops. These casual get together can be a great way to meet local business professionals.

The more people you have looking for you the better chance you have to find the job of your dreams.

Does anyone have any great places or groups they have gone to that have helped in their job search? Share them here.