Networking is an important, often critical, part of the job-seeking process. The best example ... or maybe should be considered the worst ... is the Hollywood nepotism network. Since the early days of the movies and TV, family networking has been almost as prevalent in the industry as it is in British royalty.

When a Hollywood child with relatives in the business reaches teen years, he or she is already set up for a lifetime job. The early moguls, such as Sam Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer were notorious for loading their staffs with relatives. One modern hierarchy is the Spelling family. The recently deceased Aaron Spelling always had squads of relatives working on his many TV projects, the most prominent was daughter Tori.

The difference between individuals with no family influence setting up networks and the Hollywood system is that the relatives of movie and TV producers often had absolutely no skills nor talent. Now, I'm not accusing Tori of those lacks, but does anyone realistically think she would have become a big star if her daddy hadn't created her career?

If you're searching for a job today, and you have family connections, use them to the hilt. It may be morally reprehensible, but now that I'm long retired and out of the workforce, I believe I may have acted like Goldwyn or Spelling if the situation had come up involving my kids in their careers.

Anyhow, networking can only get an applicant so far, because once he or she is on the job, except maybe when it involves Hollywood's excuse for competent acting, the new employee must perform up to the standards and expectations of the employer. Networking can be effective, but must be used with care and intelligence, as well as the applicant having the necessary experience and competence for the prospective job.

In most cases, of course, networking doesn't always involve family relationships. Everyone leaving school or college should set up people resources to use in the job search process. In fact, while still in school, the student should start gathering names and organizations. The first should be school faculty, including teachers with positive opinions of you and counselors who have worked with you. It could be beneficial to get letters of recommendation from them to take on job interviews.

If you've worked summers or part-time while a student, use the resource of former bosses and associates, and gather letters of recommendation from them. For those entering the marketplace seeking a full-time job for the first time, such references can be very valuable. Of course, if you have relatives or other influential resources already working at the company, that can be a huge plus, although the job interviewer may not always be willing to cooperate.

One reason first-timers have problems getting jobs, even entry-level ones, is that employers nearly always want applicants with solid work experience in the real world. If your resume includes only in-school accomplishments and grades, it may not be enough to compete with more experienced applicants.

Setting up a solid list of people who can help and recommend you can be your most valuable tool in nailing that first job, or your efforts to jump into a more promising one. Go for it!

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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