Day 2: Maybe I'll be lucky

It's almost a truism among those who counsel job seekers that the vast majority of jobs aren't filled by those who have responded an of job listing. The figure I've heard most often is that only about 20 percent of positions are filled that way, compared with 80 percent for networking and 10 percent in other ways.

I've never been able to verify that figure, but I did find one reference to a survey done by the Lou Adler Group that found indeed a majority of jobs are filled by networking or internal moves. About 27 percent of people who found a job did so by responding to a listing, and about half that many got jobs when someone in charge of hiring came across the candidates résumé on LinkedIn, Monster or some other site.

In any case, for most people — and I suspect this is especially true for those going beyond entry level or fast-food-type jobs — responding to listings isn't the best way to find success.

But — who know? — I may end up being one of the lucky ones despite my lack of networking. (If I am, this project doesn't stop. There are plenty of good reasons to network beyond merely finding a job. I have missed out on too much in life, and that's coming to an end.) I had an interview this morning with a company that I'm excited about working for, and I found out about the job on ones of the jobs sites.

I feel good about that interview, in part because during it I did what networking is supposed to be about — putting myself out there and letting people know who I am and how I can help them. Networking doesn't have to be about buttering people up, and in fact it shouldn't be. At its best, it's about making genuine connections.

And I think I did that today. I'm pleased with myself because of that.

The interview was scheduled to last 45 minutes. We talked for twice that long. I didn't realize I was being that talkative, but the interviewer didn't seem bored with me. I talked about my strengths, yes, but I also was honest about my shortcomings. And I asked questions, lots of questions.

In the past, I've approached interviews as a way of trying to get something I want from someone who has it to parcel out. But, in a good networking fashion, this time I looked at it differently. I was there to tell the company what I had to offer, and I expected the interviewer to tell me why I would want to work for her. I did, and she did.

I wasn't there to grovel, but to learn. If I don't get a job offer out of the 1.5 hours, I will have gained knowledge well worth the time. And that, in part, is what networking is all about.