Landing Your First Job: Three Proven Strategies

May 1, 2011— -- For many college students getting a job in today's economy may seem like a difficult feat, especially for those with little to no professional experience. Everyone's heard the same advice: Network, use online search engines and go to the career center. But the way you utilize these tools is just as important as the resources themselves.

ABCNews.com spoke with several college students who landed interviews -- and jobs –- and asked them to share their strategies.

Here's what they did to stand out from the rest of the crowd.

Network … With Everyone

Ashley Simakas, a senior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., majoring in mechanical engineering, landed her first job with Westinghouse in Pittsburgh after two internships with the company.

Simakas, who was one of more than 230 students interning with the company, said she believes she got the job offer with Westinghouse because she networked while she was there.

"When I would meet people in the company or work with different managers, I would make sure to establish a contact with them by getting a business card or an e-mail address," said Simikas.

Simakas contemplated using online jobs search engines and major corporation websites to apply for positions in her field, but she said she felt networking with contacts in a company she had experience in would be more lucrative.

"I can't imagine the number of resumes that file in daily," Simakas told ABCNews.com. "Corporations must get hundreds of online submissions a day. My resume would most likely have gotten lost in the mix, and that wasn't a chance I was going to take."

But using contacts from internships are not the only way graduating seniors are finding success in the job search.

Kyle Allison, a senior at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Va., majoring in kinesiology, networked through Facebook to get in contact with a sister's friend who works in Charleston, S.C., where Allison is looking to start his career.

"The one thing I've learned in this awful job search mess is sometimes you can't do it all yourself. It's all about who you know, and all about networking with those people," he said.

Allison said he has opted to stay away from online job listings and applications.

"I trust a friend with my resume over some search engine. When I submit my resume to the search engine, I have no idea where it's going to spit it out and whether it will ever get looked at."

For Allison, who has based his job search solely on networking, connecting to people shows employers something different than applicants who submit their resumes online.

His approach seems to be working -- he has two phone interviews set up in the physical therapy industry.

"By networking, you're going out of your way to find a path into the business, you're not just relying on a computer or search engine to do all the work for you, and this shows employers you're tenacious and driven," he said.

Alison Doyle, a job search expert with many years of experience in human resources, career development and job searching, said she believes it is important to use networking as a job search strategy.

"Join LinkedIn and search for your university's alumni networks. Connecting with alumni in your area of interest can present you with more job opportunities than you may have had before."

Doyle also said she encourages graduates in the job search to use Facebook to connect with friends who work in your field of interest.

According to Doyle, internships not only provide you with a great way of networking but they help you understand what the job description really entails.