Best way to get a job? Maybe it's as simple as going to lunch and then the gym.

Today everyone with a pulse knows somebody who's job-hunting.

It's not a pleasant topic, but it is a reality of the times and the economic conditions we're passing through--almost everyone knows at least a few people who are out of work, or being down-sized, and thus "on-the-market."  And, let's face it, everyone will, in time find a new position, it comes down to when and where.  However, for the individual on the hunt, that process is not pleasant--by far.  

LinkedIn might be your best impersonal source.

A new report is out that may help make the time and energy expended to find work more efficient.  In a report by the staffing consulting firm, CrossXroads, reports that in tracking the behavior of Fortune 500 companies, only 13% report using the major job sites like CareerBuilder or Monster--which, themselves, claim a much hire success rate--over other sources.  As it turns out, looks like LinkedIn is a key place in which recruiters and placement firms look first and foremost.  Personal sources are highest and college and MBA alumni sites are very useful as well.  

And who's surprised--most of us vastly prefer to hire someone we know--or someone who's connected to people we trust.  In today's competitive job market there's apparent few short-cuts--one will find that the most promising strategy is still--and now more than ever--building and working his or her network.  

In a recent Fortune article, "Job sites:  Are they worth it?," Jena McGregor notes that some consensus seems to be building--at least during economic challenging times, when hiring talent is less frenetic--reliance on the mass sites is almost never a preferred source of information or people--whereas LinkedIn is.  

Meet you at the gym.

Indeed, big-box meat markets are, to others as as well, far from promising. "Clients tell me, 'I'm so excited. I applied to 50 places today,' " says career consultant Bradford Agry. "You're better off having lunch with one person in your network and going to the gym."

Job-wise, if you're "in the market"--or you know someone who is--Ms. McGregor offers a list of five must-do's for what she calls "job traction"  Check them out if you need to know, or want to tell someone else who does.  By the way, none of them pertain to the large, open-air marketplaces for people who are simply looking for a job.  

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