Me, myself and my network

An article in The New York Times last month said that for every job opening in the U.S. there are six job seekers.

Everyone, from my dad to the President of the E.W. Scripps Company, tells me networking is key. This idea may have exploded in the age of Facebook and Twitter, but I can remember being very young the first time I heard someone say, "it's not what you know, it's who you know."

To someone who has racked up around $100,000 in student loan debt for a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, it's slightly disheartening. In fact, the more articles and books I read about job searching, the more I'm told to put my education section at the bottom of my resume, and highlight any impressive names on my reference page--no matter how distant my connection to that person may be.

I must admit, I've sent several resumes and cover letters via email every week since I've moved to Philadelphia, mostly to general address like jobs@companyname.com. And my only two call backs so far were from companies where I applied in person. (As it happens, they were both in food service, but that's another story.)

My most recent job-hunt read was Can I Wear My Nose Ring To The Interview?: A Crash Course In Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your First Real Job by Ellen Gordon Reeves. The chapter on cover letters was the most interesting to me. The author insisted that no self-respecting person should begin a cover letter with "hello my name is," "I'm writing in application of," or any other generic opening. Instead, she suggests an original, attention-catching first sentence. I completely agree with her on this, but the only example she gave of this must-have beginning was one in which a name was dropped.

Don't get me wrong, with the current job-to-jobless persons ratio, I think using someone's name is an often essential way to set yourself apart from the other hundreds of applicants. And I don't think my education is obsolete. No matter who you know, you most likely won't get the job without solid credentials, impressive work samples, and a good interview.

But let's say I apply for a job at company X for which I'm perfectly qualified. Then, another not-as-qualified person applies to the same job, but first sends out a mass message to his or her one thousand Facebook friends (most of whom he or she barely knows) and asks for a contact at company X. I have a sharp, concise and thoughtful cover letter. The other candidate has a cover letter with a name. We all know who gets the job.

It doesn't seem fair for employers to discriminate on a who-you-know basis. But I guess if all this name-finding hoop jumping is what it takes today, I have no choice.