The advent of social networking suddenly made it possible for people to reach thousands and in some case millions of contacts to fulfill very specific personal needs for products, relationships, and -most of all-jobs.  This is a brand-new marketplace.  How do you manage it to get the best results?

To be sure, job seekers have to be very creative in this shrunken economy.  The Internet offers a seemingly huge sea of opportunity, but there are lots of one-person kayaks paddling in it.  For every job you have applied for, there are dozens…or hundreds…or thousands of other applicants with the same target.  Your paddling skill won’t make the difference; building a personal lifeline to a potential employer will.

Google a job, scroll through he classifieds, or dash directly to Web sites of the companies where you most want to land a job.  Job-site listings are increasingly controlled by keywords that screen applicants in or out.  What is the system short on?  Two-way communication.  It’s like cyberspace Cinderella.  What employer wants to waste time squeezing on a shoe that won’t fit, especially if there are hordes of other contestants breaking down the doors?