Equally important is to come to the meeting prepared to join in and help others. Think about people who you know, including your parents and relatives. Which companies do they work for? Where did they go to school? The more you help others, the more they'll want to help you.

Make it easy for people at the meeting to contact you afterwards. Have business cards and resumes available. Have personal business cards printed up with your name and phone number. You can get them at office supply stores for as little as little as $10 for 500 cards. Hand them out along with your resume to connections you make at these meetings.

Don't be shy about mixing with the participants. Introduce yourself to the group leader and stay around after the meeting to have coffee and talk to other participants. Group leaders are often experts in the job hunting profession and are generally quite willing to offer suggestions.

Dress in a casual but professional manner. Remember, these people are recommending you to someone they may know, so look as though you merit their trust. Networking groups are informal sessions but you should still put your best foot forward.

It is estimated that over 80 percent of jobs are found through personal networking rather than help wanted ads. Your use of networking groups will not only broaden your contacts, but will also enable you to strengthen your verbal communication skills for those all important job interviews.

Steven Rothberg is the President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com at http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com , the highest traffic, non-password protected, site used by job hunting students and recent graduates and the employers who want to hire them.

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