Importance of Networking

After getting turned down for yet another lab tech job, I realized something has changed in the job-seeking world. It used to be that if you were close to fulfilling the position, but missing something, you could still apply and maybe you'd still have a chance at that job. If a job requires a bachelor's degree, but you only have an associate's degree, maybe your other resume attributes will make up for that, and you still have a shot at that job.

I think this was true ten or twenty years ago. Once upon a time, you could even drop off resumes in person. The resume was a hard copy, so the formatting and the type of paper also said something about you. You were more than just check-boxes.

I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that so much of a job search today is impersonal. You go onto the website, you don't even know the name of the person in HR who is handling that position, you spend hours filling out an application, and they judge your resume based only off of the criteria.

It's easy to toss a resume that doesn't fit all the parameters. And let's face it, today we have an abundance of applicants that fit the parameters, so why look at one who maybe has a different kind of experience. Bachelor's degree? Check. 5 years experience? Check. MS Excel? Check. Experience working as a buyer? Check. Experience working as a buyer with silicon chips? No? Reject.

Unless you completely fit the parameters, it doesn't make sense to apply for a job in today's marketplace. With one exception: Networking!

Clearly, networking is the way to get an anonymous HR person to not toss that resume into the recycle bin just because it isn't a perfect fit at first viewing. If you know someone who knows someone who knows that HR person, you can at least be assured to be reviewed as more than just numbers and parameters, but as a talent who can adapt and learn and fulfill that position and add to that company's expertise. Networking is the way to get that chance.

I clearly suck at networking. I need to figure out how to do it better. I'm at a loss on how to do so, though.

I'd love to hear feedback from anyone on this. Am I totally off base? Or is networking the only way to get through today if you aren't a perfect fit?