Developing personal contacts will help college senior break into the job market

Q: I'm starting my senior year of college. I plan to work in the Internet industry, and I want to prepare now. The major Internet companies have recruitment fairs, but very few of them are coming to my small liberal arts college. It seems most new-grad applicants go through the same process of getting hired through the human resources department, and I can't escape the competition in that channel. I have had a couple of internships with local high-tech companies. The people I worked for have contacts deep within some great companies I'm targeting, and they have written me recommendations, but where do I go with this?

NICK'S REPLY: You already have the contacts you need. While it's nice to have letters of recommendation from the people you worked for, what you really need are introductions. Since you have a year before you'll need a real job, your objective now should be internships at the Internet companies you ultimately want to work for. Ask these folks to make a few calls to get you in the door. Anyone who will write you a good recommendation is very likely to make a phone call on your behalf if you ask politely.

You should also hit the alumni rolls. Find out which recent grads work at Internet-related companies, and then call them and ask for advice and insight about the industry. These are the people who can get you in the door ahead of the job fair recruits. Do not ask for job leads. That will turn them off.

If your alumni office balks at giving you names, go to the college president's office. Ask why, if they don't get the right recruiters on campus, the alumni office won't help you out. Tell them I said it's their responsibility. They're going to ask you for an alumni donation next year, so you ought to benefit from contacts with alumni now.

Invest your time in developing personal contacts. That's how most people -- including new grads -- land great new jobs.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

Reinvent the job hunt.

Don't take anyone's advice about the best way to get the right job. Including mine. Job hunting and hiring are so over-defined in our society that almost every job hunting and hiring method is worn out.

Want the best method of all? Invent it. That's right: Reinvent this wheel for yourself.

Job hunting is not about resumes, job descriptions, interviews, negotiating techniques or skills tests. All those "tools" are weak, indirect methods for creating and developing good relationships. If you're good at your work, you can be good at getting the right job. Approach it like any new project. Seek out people who do the work you want to do. Hang out with them -- any way you know how. Talk shop. Then ask them, "Can you introduce me to the manager who runs your department?" Don't follow advice. Find and follow people who have the jobs you want.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.