Network, network, network. In the age of the Internet, networking is stepping away from coffee with Potential Employer #5 and sprinting toward social networking Web sites — including online job posts. Dawn Rasmussen at Recessionwire.com wrote about how to use online job posts to reach one goal — getting a job. She writes:

You’re trolling job listings, clicking on openings in your target field, when you see The Dream Job. Your pulse starts racing. You look more closely. You are a perfect fit. You are such a perfect fit that it was like you had written the job description yourself. So you spend hours editing, proofing, tweaking and finessing your resume and cover letter. You hit “send” confident you’ll be contacted right away. You never hear a peep.

Rasmussen says that while this may be common, you shouldn’t write-off all online job searches. Instead, use online job postings as a research tool. You can find out companies who are hiring and pick up on company lingo and keywords to use in your resume. Sign up for professional sites like LinkedIn.com and Plaxo.com and social networking sites like Facebook.com and Twitter.com. Nowadays, the Internet is everything so make your presence known by starting a blog with observations and insights about your specialty. Make sure to link your blog to your online profiles and make note of it in your resume.