In today’s advanced society, where technology is progressing at an increasingly rapid rate, job searching has been able to become more convenient for the potential employee, as well as for the potential employer. Many popular job sites like CareerBuilder and Monster allow employers to list their open positions and employees to simply fill in a couple of details and submit a resume. If that doesn’t work, then the employee could easy submit to hundreds of other open job positions that could easily be found with the same job search site.

But the bottom line is, is online job search still effective? As the economy has undergone some significant recessions of late, it has become increasingly difficult to get a job, not to mention to even find a job. You may have also come across forums where those having great difficulties getting a job are spewing profusely about how difficult it is to get a job. Add in to the fact that about 90% of jobs are never advertised or broadcasted to the public and you’ve come yourselves a very messy spew.

So, this is where offline job search comes in. It is probably the most underestimated form of job searching since it shows the potential employer that you are proactive in your quest to find a job and that it can also help you expand your social network, which is obviously useful when it comes to getting a job.

The greatest advantage of an offline job search is that you’re probably the first one to know about an open position that is probably not even known to the general public. You’ll be one of those people who seem to know about a job before everyone else. It’s a great feeling!

Also, searching for a job offline means having to talk and interact with other people offline. This means that you’ll be expanding your social network, getting the names and contacts of people who are already in the industry and can connect you to those in higher positions, like the HR manager. (On a personal note, I’ve actually have done this method before and even though I didn’t get the job in the end, it has really helped expanded my social network. So when I ever want to apply for a job in a different sector of the company, I can get a referral from someone I know and that can add to my credibility as a good employee.)

And that’s another thing about offline job searching. The people you talk to can become your referees or your referrals and can give you a lot of credibility, since you’ve probably met them for the first time. And if you’ve made a good first impressions on them and they tell the potential employer this, then you’ll be guaranteed at least a consideration for getting that job.

Although it seems offline job search is the answer to all your job searching woes, online job searching can still be quite effective. There are hundreds and thousands of jobs posted online every hour in every industry you can think of and it’s up to you to find these jobs. Try using a variety of job search sites, rather than just one and gather all your desired results into a single document or file. If you can find the email or social networking handle of a known employer or headhunter, then contact them directly and attach your resume saying that you are looking for a job in that industry. Of course, you must be professional since you are basically a stranger sending them a potential spam email.

(On another personal note, I remember getting so frustrated at looking a for a job online that I went offline and asked a friend to help me find a job. He said that he found a job online fairly easy and it was all a matter of using the right search terms. Within an hour of applying, I got a phone call for an interview. And yes, I did get that job! So there you go, if you combine both online and offline job searching, it can even more effective than just offline job searching alone)