As discussed extensively in many of my networking-related posts over the years, one of the hardest things to do for many job hunters is stretch beyond the “reactive” world of responding to published job ads and add in the more “proactive” component of working through personal connections to uncover unpublished and newly-created opportunities.

Sure, millions of job hunters land new roles each year by responding to published leads, but at the same time — and given the current state of the economy — I think most active job hunters would also agree that the job advertising world has turned into an intensely frustrating, confusing, and time-consuming space.   There are few professionals I’ve encountered lately, for example, who don’t express some form of “what am I doing wrong?” sentiment in light of the lack of responses their online employment applications are generating.

Not only do today’s submissions often encounter fierce competition, but the reality is that many posted jobs may have already fallen through, been filled, or promised to an internal candidate.  They’re just not always a fair fight, in other words, as many of you can probably confirm through your own hiring experience inside organizations.

So while again, I’m not suggesting that people STOP responding to advertisements altogether, I implore any active job hunters to recognize and embrace the reality that the majority of job offers come to fruition with some form of networking in play.  So if this is a perennial weak spot for you, and out of your comfort zone, I’d highly encourage you to dive into the topic intensively and learn some strategies for making yourself more effective in this regard.  There is a ton of useful information out there on the subject one can access, if needed, and of course I’m standing by to assist anyone further in this area if they’d like to do so.

For what it’s worth, I think perhaps the biggest mistake I’ve been seeing lately are people who are asking around for referrals, but not engaging in the proper etiquette and follow-up needed to maximize the value of such introductions.  To that end, here are the three non-negotiable rules I’d encourage everybody to follow:

1. If you ask somebody for an introduction to somebody, and they grant you one, you’re obligated to reach out to that person within 24 hours — especially if the other person has been given your name and is expecting to hear from you.  Failure to do so will make the referring party look bad, diminish your chances of success, and likely prevent you from receiving future referrals.

2. If you’re going to ask somebody to invest some of their time helping you, you need to have a clear agenda in mind and be ready to drive the meeting with smart, value-added questions.  If you don’t know what you want or lead with the simplistic yes/no question of “do you have a job for me?” it’s almost inevitable the meeting will fizzle and you’ll make a less-than-positive impression on the other party.

3. Once you’ve held a networking chat with somebody, there are TWO key thank-yous you need to provide.  You need to obviously thank the person with whom you spoke, as well go back to the referring party and let them know that yes, contact was made, and the meeting was productive.  When you do this, everybody wins.  You reeinforce to the people involved that they did a good, helpful thing which will keep them more engaged and catalyze them to assist you even more in the future.

So again, whether you’re a newbie at networking or an experienced professional who has been trying your best at it, without results, make absolutely sure you follow all three of the rules above.  Personally, I’ve reached the point where I actually require clients to commit to these three guidelines, in advance, before I make referrals for them.  I’ve just seen too many people lately disappear or drop the ball after asking for introductions — which is a lose/lose/lose scenario for all concerned.

So be bold.  Tap into all of the (hopefully) positive relationships you’ve built over the years.  Ask people if they’d be willing to put in a good word for you to person X, Y, or Z.  But make sure you do your part, as well, by honoring their good faith with timely outreach and superstar follow-up.  Trust me, your contacts will notice!