This nugget of wisdom was handed down publicly through an article in the Wall Street Journal.

Richard Bolles, author of “What Color Is Your Parachute?“, was interviewed by the WSJ about the current job market. I haven’t read it, but several people have recommended his book to me. The article gives some great tips on the new reality of the job search and, in my opinion, is spot on.

Mr. Bolles talks about how much the approach to finding a job has changed from when he first wrote his book in the 1970’s.  Tools like Linkedin make networking easier because they allow you to quickly figure out who you know. You just have to make the effort and reach out to those people who can help you.

You can increase your likelihood of success several times over by asking for job leads from family, friends, neighbors…

The key words here are job leads. Don’t make the mistake of asking your old college roommate for a job. You simply want to put out feelers, and let everyone know that you’re looking. There is no shame in that. And you will never find out if they can help you unless you ask.

Bottom line: Ask and (maybe, just maybe) you shall receive.