It may seem logical that the more CVs you send out, the more likely you are to get a call for an interview. Cast the net out far and wide, and you are sure to catch something, right?

That strategy, in fact, doesn’t even apply when you are fishing. The metaphor can offer some insight for our purposes here. Fishermen don’t just sail out to any place and hope to catch fish; they know where the fish are and what time of day or year they are most likely to get a good catch.

Similarly, you have a net to throw out to achieve your aims in a very targeted way. In this case, it’s your network. It really is your main job search tool. The legwork you do in connecting with people and maintaining those relationships will do miles more for you than writing resume after resume and sending these to as many job posting as possible.

Though it may seem odd for me, as a CV writer, to discourage the “send as many out as possible strategy,” I really need to stand behind my professional mission: To help my clients land the job that best fits their qualifications and career goals. The CV is therefore just one piece in a much broader puzzle.

So, if you hate networking (it is not the most natural or comfortable thing to do for many people), and decide that you will wake up tomorrow and send CVs out to 100 blind ads anyway, I encourage you to read “Ask the Headhunter: The Magic Resume Calculator” so you can think about it again.