Workplace

Online job-search tools have “made it incredibly easy to broadcast your résumé or profile to a lot of companies very quickly, easily, and for free,” said Joel Cheesman in U.S. News & World Report. But many job seekers rely too much on technology. “At the end of the day, the job hunt is largely about people.” In other words, online job boards, social networking sites, and the like are only useful insomuch as they help you “get your foot in the door and make a human connection.”

All things being equal, a job candidate who comes with a personal referral has a much better shot at landing the job, said Amy Dobson in the San Francisco Chronicle. Combing online listings and posting your résumé to every job board out there can often be a waste of time, according to Randall Hansen, founder of the online advice forum Quintessential Careers. His advice: Limit your résumé blast to a single major site. Then sift through a select group of industry- and geographic-specific niche job boards. Then close your laptop, get dressed, and try networking the old-fashioned way.