If networking is the way to find jobs, why do so many still pursue impersonal ads?

Q: Today the Internet is a very popular way to apply for work. Job boards and other kinds of online employment listings are easy to use. Some people still do it the old-fashioned way, while others favor a hybrid approach. How do you apply for jobs?

Nick's reply: I periodically run a poll asking readers to pick from various methods they use to get in the door of a company. In other words, how do you apply for a job?

According to surveys done by firms such as Forrester Research and CareerXroads, something like 40 to 60 percent of jobs are found and filled through personal contacts. I don't think that surprises anyone, and most people know in their gut that "It's who you know." Yet the last time I did this survey, 77 percent responded that they would pursue the channel that is least productive -- jobs ads or postings. Even though they know that the line in the personnel office is long and the competition is stiff, people still take the impersonal path of submitting resumes and applications.

So why do people go through personnel?

Let's see if I can help you view this from another perspective. Suppose your boss gave you an important project, and you realized it could not be accomplished by conventional means. In other words, the way it's always been done ain't gonna cut it. Your boss just wants the job done. Would you continue applying the same old methods? Or would you demonstrate creativity and try something new? Remember: Your boss is watching and judging you.

Hold that thought.

Let's go back to applying for a job. What's the difference between how you'd behave on the job if you faced a challenge, and how you'd apply for that same job? Do you follow the same old path to the personnel department, or do you apply the skills you use at work to your job hunting challenge? Do you trust an old process that doesn't work well, or do you come up with new methods that might improve your chance of success?

Now let's turn back to your job.

Do you do your work and satisfy your boss by using the same "wait and see" strategy most people use when they submit a resume to personnel? Of course not.

Someone once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

What's the difference between doing your job and pursuing a new one? If you create smart new methods at work, why use dumb methods on the job hunt?

It seems the job market is geared for insanity. Maybe the problem is with employers. Many claim in their public relations materials that they want creative workers who "think out of the box." Yet such people are often locked out by the personnel department because they break the rules by approaching managers directly. Sometimes, even managers reject the personal approach when candidates call them directly: "Go to the personnel office!"

Maybe what the world needs is a college curriculum in job hunting. We could call it, "Use Your Brain 101: On-the-job techniques to win the job." A complementary course for managers might teach them how to welcome job hunters who try to make personal contact.

Please tell me you're not one of the 77 percent who wait in line to be processed by the personnel office. Consider using the same skills you use on the job to win your next job. Introduce yourself directly to a hiring manager -- like he was your boss -- and talk about how you would do the job.

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.