Beyond Cold Calls: Six Job-Hunting Tactics

When it comes to networking, there are the usual tactics: reaching out to college alumni, tapping your Rolodex and chatting up industry contacts at cocktail events. But they will only get you so far if you're looking for a job.

Today's job seekers need to be creative to stand out among a growing pool of unemployed professionals. If you've already attended every conference in your field and cold called all your old college buddies, here are some ideas:

Join an after-work sports team: Sports leagues are good places to meet like-minded professionals. For example, there's a softball league for people in the media industry and the Landau Lawyers League in Los Angeles has been organizing basketball, softball and volleyball leagues for more than 40 years. Playing in a league is a fun, casual way to get to know others in your field. ...