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Staff Writer - The Boulder Daily Camera

While Colorado's economy remains strong with an unemployment rate of 4.2 percent — with Boulder County down to a rate of 2.8 percent — career experts say that being a job seeker is still a challenging job in itself.

"Today it is all about networking," said Luke Vernon, a Boulder resident who founded and runs , a growing jobs site with 9,000 members he launched in 2010. The CU MBA graduate, who received a bachelor's of science degree from Cornell in 2002, is also CEO of Sproutwell, a startup natural foods company, and has run other companies.

"Relying too heavily on job boards for opportunities is a common mistake," Vernon explained. "The big job boards are overpriced for job seekers and not very effective. You need to get out and meet as many people as you can."

Vernon says this holds true for young people just out of school, as well as older workers looking to make a change or who find themselves suddenly unemployed.

According to economist Richard Wobbekind of the University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business, employment growth in Colorado will continue in 2015, adding jobs in almost every business sector.

"Not only is the state's economy solidly in positive territory, but it is ranking in the top five nationally for population growth, employment growth, wage and salary growth and personal income growth," said Wobbekind. "With Colorado's low unemployment rate, we are now hearing about worker shortages for some industries, as well as upward wage pressures."

Overall, his 2015 economic forecast calls for a gain of more than 61,000 jobs in Colorado this year. All sectors of the state's economy are predicted to grow in 2015, with the possible exception of the information technology industry, which he says is expected to remain flat.

But none of that matters if job seekers don't go about their search the right way.

Shotgun approach

"The shotgun approach is not the way to find a job," said Andrew Hudson, in describing the practice of blindly sending dozens of resumes out to companies.

Hudson was once director of communications for the city and county of Denver and chief spokesman for Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb. He also worked as senior director of advertising, marketing, communications and sales for Frontier Airlines. For the past 15 years, he's been running Andrew Hudson's Jobs List, a Colorado jobs site with over 35,000 subscribers, which is now his fulltime job.

He agrees with Vernon that the large job sites aren't all they were once cracked up to be, as they have grown too large and impersonal.

" became a big monster. It's so big," Hudson said. "Today you need to get off the computer. Job boards are good for prospecting, but you need to network, meet people, and get out of your comfort zone."

Hudson teaches more than 30 "Career Bootcamps" per year, and witnesses firsthand the common errors people make in today's job market.

"That blanket, shotgun approach is an exercise in futility," he says. "It can be uncomfortable to call a stranger, or a friend, for job help. But you need to remember that there is a lot of empathy out there for job seekers. People like to help. So you have to put yourself out there. You cannot be afraid to fail."

New graduates

For business graduates coming out of the Leeds School of Business at CU, 2015 is being viewed as a banner year for jobs.

"We have five jobs for every one graduate at the Leeds School that is still looking for work," explained Katie Connor, the school's executive director of career development. "With the strong economy, it's just the perfect storm for a student looking for work. It's a great time to be a Leeds graduate, a CU graduate, a college graduate."

"We are quite fortunate for the jobs being created in the state," added Leeds economist Richard Wobbekind. "Between 2013 and 2015, Colorado will record the three best years for job growth since 2000."

Older workers

Experts say there are plenty of opportunities in Colorado for those looking to make a mid-career change, or who have recently lost a job. But some of those people, especially the over 50 crowd, face other challenges.

"One of the reasons is because of the new ways that people look for work," said Vicki Buck, an employment adviser at Workforce Boulder County in Longmont. "They may not be up to speed with the latest technology. They may not have the understanding of what information needs to be in resumes and letters."

Buck points to a variety of Workforce Boulder County workshops and classes aimed at helping older workers make better use of today's technology.

"We also have people who come from well-known companies in the Boulder County area, who come and speak about the benefits of hiring older workers and the benefits to their companies, in hiring these types of people."

Luke Vernon says the person looking to make a job change, or who just lost a position, needs to remember the basics.

"It takes hard work and persistence. I know it's a cliché, but it's very true that every 'no is one step closer to a 'yes.' Specifically, though, I'd recommend focusing your efforts on trying to become top of mind for as many people as possible," Vernon said.

"I'm an advocate of putting yourself out there at events and meeting people. Also, make sure your resume looks really good. Have a former coworker or a mentor look it over," he said.

Career experts also emphasize the need to avoid the common pitfalls of job hunting.

"They rely too heavily on job boards and not enough on person-to-person connections," Vernon said about job-search mistakes. "Remember, the number one source of hires for companies is referrals. It's not job boards. It's who you know. Job boards and sites like mine, Luke's Circle, can be a resource for hearing about companies, but the real job hunt is won by then trying to network your way into those companies."

Andrew Hudson has more than 35,000 subscribers to his Colorado jobs site, and says today's job seeker also needs to understand that the technology he or she is using to find work is also technology that employers are using to find staff.

"A big frustration now is the applicant tracking systems being used by companies," Hudson explained. "You get ranked by a computer, as it looks for keywords in your application or resume."

That means a computer may decide if you ever get called in for that initial interview. "Employers use sophisticated technology now to screen potential employees."

Hudson says you can work around that, and learn the buzz words you need to include in application materials be researching the company you are applying to.

Rejection

"Job seekers have to be prepared for all the rejections, and never take it personally," Hudson said. "When you get rejected you wonder why. All these negative thoughts come into your head. A job seeker needs to stay focused, Focus on what you want to do. Research the industry, the companies, and stay focused."

"And remember to put yourself out there and network," Vernon said. "Remember, it's all about who you know."

Vince Winkel: 303-684-5291, winkelv@times-call.com or .