Networking as a means of finding new work opportunities is more important now than ever before. While the economy might be tight, opportunities for networking have never been easier thanks to the web and social networking tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook.

These types of sites provide excellent ways of identifying friends and acquaintances who work for (or have some affiliation with) companies in which you are interested. Reach out to those individuals to gain additional insight on the company, business unit, and type of work that might be available.  This critical background information will allow you to customize your resume to highlight past experiences that may be of particular interest to the hiring manager. Furthermore, ask those key individuals to be a reference for you.  An internal reference carries a great deal of weight and may be the crucial differentiator between you and the next applicant.

You may find that one of your friends or former colleague is “linked” (has a direct relationship of some sort) with an individual within the company you are applying at, such as the hiring manager.  You could ask this individual to introduce the two of you, providing a chance for you to discuss the position directly with the ultimate decision maker and circumventing human resources where you otherwise may not have made it past a complicated filtering process. 

It's important to take time to build your LinkedIn profile, to add to your connections, and to effectively use your connections to help with your job search.  Keep your profile current and complete as this will provide you with the best possible job matches.  The more complete your LinkedIn profile, the better your chances to be found and to be contacted.  Use your LinkedIn profile like a resume and provide prospective employers with detailed information on your skills and experience.  It's also important to help your connections.  “What goes around comes around,” as the proverbial saying goes. 

Some employers prefer that candidates have LinkedIn recommendations (LinkedIn will show you the number of recommendations you have below the requirements). Employers also may prefer referrals through the LinkedIn network. Follow the instructions in the job posting to optimize your chances of securing an interview.

Consider joining groups that may post job postings on their sites, and think about starting a discussion letting the group know of your interest in looking for a new opportunity within its area of expertise. I cannot stress enough the importance of joining groups (company groups, alumni groups, college groups and networking groups) and include logos where they exist.  All are good sources for networking, establishing contacts, and finding job listings. 

More and more people are sending job postings to their contacts and posting job listings to groups to which they belong.  You may wish to start by joining Intertech Elite Partners. There are filtering mechanisms that allow you to be selective in your search, such as targeting specific locations (i.e., within 10 miles of a given zip code), by job function, by industry, and by posting date, to name a few.

Make your introduction concise.  Given the number of candidate submissions received on a daily basis, you have as little seven seconds to make a positive impression before making it to the recycle bin.  Differentiate yourself by customizing your profile\resume to the position.  Highlight how your experience relates to the requirements of the position by including that information as high level bullets, while providing supporting detail below to be viewed if the reader so chooses.

Companies are using LinkedIn's Corporate Solutions and many more hiring managers and recruiters are using LinkedIn to post jobs and source candidates for employment. It's important to make sure you're found by prospective employers and to use LinkedIn to apply for jobs and make connections with people who can help your job search.

LinkedIn company profiles are an excellent way to find more information on a company you're interested in pursuing. You'll be able see your connections at the company, new hires, promotions, jobs posted, related companies, and company statistics.

JobsInsider is a tool you can download that will describe how you are connected at jobs listed on Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, SimplyHired, Dice, and Vault. You then can see who you are connected with at the company and request an introduction\referral to the hiring manager.

Best wishes to you in your search!