I’ll be the first to admit that job hunting is no fun, especially when the economy has gone south. The last time I was between jobs was right after 9/11 — not the best time to be looking for work.

I thought I was doing everything right. I updated my resume, wrote some lovely cover letters, and spent hours upon hours surfing online job sites. The return on my investment? Nada.

That’s hard to understand, since it looks like there are so many opportunities on the Web. In fact, the Conference Board, a business research organization, estimated that 4,833,700 job vacancies were posted online last month. Surely someone must be getting those jobs. (Side note: Does anyone know how many vacancies are actually filled by online job site surfers? It would be interesting to find out that ratio.)

Anyway, back in 2001, social networking sites hadn’t yet made their way to the Internet, so I didn’t have the option of using my Facebook account to meet all the right people. Now, according to the members of the Society for Human Resource Management, recruiters use social networking sites to fill vacancies, verify resumes, and screen applicants — and they’re doing it 23 percent more now than they did in 2006.

Social networking would certainly be a more fun and targeted way to get work. Just last week, in fact, a Facebook friend noticed my “freelance writer & editor” description and wrote on my wall for suggestions on breaking into the freelance market. Michelle, I hope my advice was helpful!

I ended up getting a job in early 2002 through some face-to-face social networking, though I wasn’t even the one doing the work. While at a young adult Bible study, my husband mentioned that I was having a hard time finding a job. The next thing I know, my friend Mike is approaching me and chastising me for not talking to him about my employment situation. He was a graphic designer and I was a writer, but I never saw the connection. Turns out he worked for a magazine, I got an interview, and shortly thereafter I was gainfully employed.

Though online job sites are probably not a total waste of time, personal connections seem the better way to go. Ask around your circle of friends, and don’t forget about alumni and professional associations. Alumni associations in particular have a vested interest in seeing their own succeed; you’d be amazed how helpful they can be for you to make professional connections.

Because, in the end, anonymity won’t get you work. You need to be known. Remember Chris Gardner, Will Smith’s character in “The Pursuit of Happyness”? He landed a spot in the competitive internship program at Dean Witter by paying a visit to the office and creatively scoring face time with a hiring manager. It was unconventional, but it worked.

Share your story: How did you find your current job?

-Robyn Tellefsen