So I came across a job in Las Vegas, for which in my admittedly biased opinion I was a 99% fit (the 1% results from the fact that I live thousands of miles away from Vegas, which neither the employer nor Mrs. Walmass will like).

Following the advice of Layoff Support Network, I did my LinkedIn research, and found some people at the employer who might be able to help me. Because they are outside my network, I did the next step: I search for the same people at other social networks, Google, etc.

As luck would have it, I ended up finding one of them, a VP of staffing, mentioned on a site about Vegas. When I went to the site, I thought it was my lucky day, because although the site was about something else, the site-owner happened to be a head-hunter/executive recruiter!

So I wrote to the guy expressing my interest in working through him to land the position, and continued to browse his site. I could hardly believe my luck when I saw a testimonial from the likely hiring manager (my guess, given the open position title) where the hiring manager praised this recruiter and said that he goes straight to this guy when he needs to hire someone.

Imagine my reaction when, about 5 minutes later I received a very polite reply--he regretted that he only worked with people who he personally knew or people who were referred to him by others he personally knew.

Now, to be fair, I actually understand and (grudgingly) appreciate the policy adopted by the recruiter. After our email exchange, I discovered it is also stated on his website. After all, he gets paid by the employer, and he needs to keep them happy and one of the filters he uses is personal knowledge about the candidates. As a hiring manager, I would have appreciated such good service myself. So fair's fair, and no complaints against the recruiter, who seems to be a fairly good guy.

But it was still a mild blow against the old ego (and hopes of landing a job in this bleak job market)

But some good did come out of this. The previous night, I had also posted to a mailing list asking for contacts at the employer. I got a number of responses, and some of them went above and beyond in conducting researches on their own to find more information to help me. I do not personally know these people, and probably never will. But the help they extended is greatly appreciated, and I thank them all.

So I will apply for the position directly, but given the wave of applicants they must be facing, and the personal relationship between the recruiter and the hiring manager, my chances are less than a snowflake's in hell.

Oh--by the way, if you are looking for an executive-level position in Vegas, I can give you the name of a recruiter who knows all the big players. But I must warn you--he may very well refuse to work with you. :-)