There is a reason some wise person coined the phrase "Use the right tool for the right job."

Just like some people have their favorite search engine, some people have their favorite networking site. If you really want to increase your ability to network, invest time in learning how to leverage the power of more than just your favorite networking site.

Don't think of other networking sites as competing with each other; think of other networking sites as complementing each other.

Develop a plan of attack.

The old adage of "those who fail to plan; plan to fail" is absolutely true in a proactive job search campaign. You can't simply focus on approaching recruiters. Read: E-Mailing Resumes to Recruiters Won't Generate a Big Response.

Create a balanced plan.

Reaching out to recruiters and hiring authorities/executives directly by utilizing resume distribution services and a desktop email campaign software solution should be combined with direct networking by leveraging professional business networking environments (e.g., Ecademy, Linkedin, et al.). This creates an effective job search strategy that will increase your exposure to more opportunities.

Make sure your plan includes investing time in personally branding yourself on the Internet and building an Internet presence.

If someone types your name (e.g., "John Doe" ) into Google, are you anywhere to be found? Or quote industry leading personal branding consultant Cindy Kraft "Do you exist?" (see my related article: “Do you exist?”)

The easiest way to have Google find you is to write blogs. But it is actually a little more complicated than going out and creating a blog. You can go to a number of free blog sites and grab your own blog (e.g., Blogger, BlogSource, et al.), but that won't mean your name "John Doe" is going to return a hit on the first page of the search return in Google.