By Lisa 
“Got to have a J.O.B. if you wanna beeee with me…” Been sending resumes until Yahoo thinks you are a spambot and still getting nowhere? Had a bunch of folks look at your resume and there appears to be nothing glaringly wrong? Maybe its time to decrease your bounce and increase your reach by networking…
But how to begin? You are young, you don’t know a heck of a lot of business people except for your parents golf buddies and some of them may have changed your dirty diaper (hopefully a while back). Hard to look someone in the face knowing they have seen yo’ hind. Here are some ideas:
ONE: Establish an active presence on LinkedIn. Most older people (aka ‘Hiring Managers’) are on LinkedIn. Some guidelines:
Clean up your other social media first. If anyone finds you on LinkedIn, they may have a Facebook account as well and will look you up there as well. Delete or make private any photos that would not represent you as a professional. No Spring Break photos please!
Use a professional but natural looking profile picture. Please do NOT use a formal portrait that could double as a funeral portrait. Just make sure you don’t look goofy, have a drink in your hand or include a friend or two in the picture.
Treat your description as a resume: your business interest, education and experience. Tell readers what you want (a job in XYZ field) and what education/degrees or experience prepared you. Do not put real personal information here like phone numbers, address, etc. If folks want to reach you, they can email or message you through LinkedIn. Join LinkedIn groups related to your field.
After all the above is in place, start requesting connections. Yes, all those old folks who changed your diapers, former teachers, anyone in the business field you are trying to get into. (Keep in mind that sometime back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, someone also changed THEIR diapers). You want to get as many people as possible accessing and possibly sharing your page. When people agree to connect, send them a simple message thanking them, tell them what sort of job you are going for, and ask them to let you know if they know of any openings or people you should contact. Almost no one does this step and it goes a long way.
If you really want to step it up, start adding posts and links regarding business articles (or your own articles if you feel writer-y) in your field. The fact that you would post up to date information tells hiring managers that you are passionate about your field, willing to learn and a team player for sharing with others. Good stuff.
TWO: Join local civic, chamber or business clubs. Most all have some sort of discounted program available for young people just starting out and it usually doesn’t cost much if anything to go visit a meeting. Go to some Business After Hours meetings, Rotary, etc. Yes, you will probably be the youngest person there. It’s OK. Ask your local chamber if they have a group or program specifically for young professionals. Find out if there are some related groups in your field on social media to join online. Learn, contribute, and ask for help.
THREE: Actively reach out to older business people. Former teachers, your parents friends, Sunday School teachers, whoever you can possibly think of who may either be in the field you want to go into or may know someone else. Ask people in a company you want to target if you can stop by for 10 minutes just to introduce yourself. Call, write, or meet in person and tell them what you want, your experience and education and ask for help and referrals. Most people are very willing to help someone who takes the time to ask and very few people actually do. This is your silver bullet. I promise, pinky-swear.
And lastly, be patient. There are always jobs out there for people who are passionate, educated, and have a good work ethic. You just have to let as many people know who you are and what you bring.
Work your network, then let your network bring the job to you.