Not sure where you read “wait and wait” in the article. The thrust of the article is to take action, to network and to be smart in how you perform your job search. I understand that a lack of success and little feedback can be frustrating. I get that and have been through it. I was out for five months in 2007. But to your point, I have never been out of work beyond six months. You do need to keep trying.

While I promote that job seekers should not settle with a job that is not right for them, I also say this: if you get to a point where you need money to pay the bills, then you can decide to take something. Even if it is not exactly right. Sometimes you have to think practical.

Not sure where you read “wait and wait” in the article. The thrust of the article is to take action, to network and to be smart in how you perform your job search. I understand that a lack of success and little feedback can be frustrating. I get that and have been through it. I was out for five months in 2007. But to your point, I have never been out of work beyond six months. You do need to keep trying.

While I promote that job seekers should not settle with a job that is not right for them, I also say this: if you get to a point where you need money to pay the bills, then you can decide to take something. Even if it is not exactly right. Sometimes you have to think practical.

It is easy to write down that you should wait and wait and keep trying. Actually paying the bills with no moeny coming in is a different story.

It is easy to write down that you should wait and wait and keep trying. Actually paying the bills with no moeny coming in is a different story.

Almost every job seeker I talk to who has arrived at a new job over the past six months mentioned networking as the way they either found out about or got an interview for a job.

In terms of the data, here it is:

“According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking.”

And I’ll bet you that this study result UNDERVALUES the result available through networking. For jobs and for long term business relationships.

You are right that companies don’t hire people that they like. If you aren’t qualified, you are likely to be passed over no matter how likeable or how well connected you are. But in this economy when so many people are qualified for the few jobs available, don’t you think having a connection gets you consideration beyond what you’d get if your resume fell out of the sky?

Who am I blaming? If you are staying at home and not out networking with other job seekers and (important) employed people, you will miss out on discussions where opportunities are mentioned. Ones that recruiters (10-15% of jobs) are not involved with . . .

Thanks for sharing that strong comment – I have a lot of good friends who have been out beyond a year. And I hear their frustration (like yours). But despite the odds, they are telling me this: “I am frustrated, sometimes down, but never out of my active networking effort. Because I know it will play some role in my successful effort.”

If you are open to it, give me a call. Maybe I can give you a few ideas.

(949) 280-7043

Almost every job seeker I talk to who has arrived at a new job over the past six months mentioned networking as the way they either found out about or got an interview for a job.

In terms of the data, here it is:

“According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking.”

And I’ll bet you that this study result UNDERVALUES the result available through networking. For jobs and for long term business relationships.

You are right that companies don’t hire people that they like. If you aren’t qualified, you are likely to be passed over no matter how likeable or how well connected you are. But in this economy when so many people are qualified for the few jobs available, don’t you think having a connection gets you consideration beyond what you’d get if your resume fell out of the sky?

Who am I blaming? If you are staying at home and not out networking with other job seekers and (important) employed people, you will miss out on discussions where opportunities are mentioned. Ones that recruiters (10-15% of jobs) are not involved with . . .

Thanks for sharing that strong comment – I have a lot of good friends who have been out beyond a year. And I hear their frustration (like yours). But despite the odds, they are telling me this: “I am frustrated, sometimes down, but never out of my active networking effort. Because I know it will play some role in my successful effort.”

If you are open to it, give me a call. Maybe I can give you a few ideas.

(949) 280-7043

I’d like to see any definitive source that proves that as is so often quoted 80% of jobs are found through networking. Who did that study? Does it include internal promotions that were never open to the public? What kind of jobs are they? Day jobs? Laborers? What? I seriously doubt that 80% is for quality jobs open to anyone.

So we use the pablum of “networking” to give people hope. It’s like that SNL skit – Hillary didn’t get the nomination because she didn’t WANT it bad enough. If you don’t spend time glad-handing, you obviously don’t WANT it bad enough. But if you network, you at least have hope.

Companies aren’t stupid. Hiring the person who knows someone in the company doesn’t get you the best candidate. It just gets you the easiest candidate. Companies that actually have jobs and want quality people are either advertising or using recruiters to get the LARGEST candidate pool to pick from. Not the guy who happens to know Sally in A/R.

So stop blaming the victims. Networking like crazy has as little chance as networking casually and going ballistic with resumes. It’s a numbers and luck of the draw game. It is not highly qualified peoples fault they aren’t finding work. It’s an economy devastated by an idiotic government, and big business executives enriching themselves at everyone elses expense.

I’d like to see any definitive source that proves that as is so often quoted 80% of jobs are found through networking. Who did that study? Does it include internal promotions that were never open to the public? What kind of jobs are they? Day jobs? Laborers? What? I seriously doubt that 80% is for quality jobs open to anyone.

So we use the pablum of “networking” to give people hope. It’s like that SNL skit – Hillary didn’t get the nomination because she didn’t WANT it bad enough. If you don’t spend time glad-handing, you obviously don’t WANT it bad enough. But if you network, you at least have hope.

Companies aren’t stupid. Hiring the person who knows someone in the company doesn’t get you the best candidate. It just gets you the easiest candidate. Companies that actually have jobs and want quality people are either advertising or using recruiters to get the LARGEST candidate pool to pick from. Not the guy who happens to know Sally in A/R.

So stop blaming the victims. Networking like crazy has as little chance as networking casually and going ballistic with resumes. It’s a numbers and luck of the draw game. It is not highly qualified peoples fault they aren’t finding work. It’s an economy devastated by an idiotic government, and big business executives enriching themselves at everyone elses expense.