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I tried this a few years ago. It was nothing but senior citizens bragging about how may anti-virus programs they had running, or how many times a week they defragmented their hard drive. It wasn't the type of 'user group' I was expecting. I never went back.
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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I agree with the user group suggestion.
If you go on meetup.com and look for local meetups of interest. You might be surprised at what is available.
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I put myself on LinkedIn in order to find and connect with colleagues from earlier jobs. A nice side-effect of my LinkedIn presence was being contacted by recruiters who work permanently at specific companies. Even though I'm not looking to move, some of these contacts have proved to be quite useful because of my mutual interest in those companies. You may want to consider doing the same.
Good luck! 
/ravi
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I presume that you are following the job ads in the local papers.
Additionally you should post a CV (resume) on some job sites like (but not limited to) Monster, Career Builder, jobs.com, jobsdb.com, etc.
Don't forget government jobs USAJOBS[^]
If you don't mind leaving the country try:
Bayt[^] Middle East
webjobz[^] Global
As others have said don't give up hope it takes time to find a job.
Good luck. Hope this helps.
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Ask your old classmates from college how they got jobs. Ask for favors from any of them that is really good at networking or interviewing.
And practice reading and understanding people now, before you interview. Hiring managers think about themselves when they interview people more than they think about their interviewees. The hiring process is one of many things they do to advance their own goals and careers, and understanding them, their goals, and their thinking process is helpful in figuring out how to interview with them.
Hiring managers who specifically hire entry-level developers are usually either cheap or desperate, and they have their own systems of deciding who's a low-risk option likely to get the work done without too much trouble. If the "apply-everywhere in bulk" option isn't working out well for you, then specifically hunt down hiring managers who fall into the "cheap" or "desperate" category, and do everything you can to figure out their system of evaluating interviewees before you submit anything.
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I recommend registering with plenty of agencies. People who advertise on boards are basically cheap anyway. Agencies have lots of access to the people who count, often exclusive access to non-advertised positions. Also, these people have no other job but to get you a job.
As for CV building, what the guys have said is all good stuff, but I would add that it helps to build a product of some sort, one you came up with on your own, using something you have to work at. It should be something you can take with you on a netbook, tablet or laptop, to interviews, and it should involve commercially viable technologies(such as .NET on any platform, although Mono Linux might appear a little more impressive for little outlay of effort).
In conclusion, play to your existing strengths where you can, but venture outside your comfort zone and learn to talk the talk.
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In addition to what the other posters have mentioned, joining an open source project may also be a networking opportunity. You can contribute, gain some experience in an area, and make contacts.
One other point is that your efforts should be oriented toward what you can bring to an employer, i.e. you're selling a product (you and your skills) and a solution (how those skills can help the employer) to an employer.
volee68
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Classmates (i had a cs major) are definitely very helpful, I got a couple of jobs from their recommendations.
Linkedin is very good, I landed a good job from it before.
Local hackathons and meetups are also great for networking, and you get the added bonus of learning new skills and adding another project to your portfolio.
Job websites are good, but no where near as good as the above in my experience.
Amr Abdel Majeed
Senior Software Developer
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A length of CAT6 and some connectors. Oh, hang on...
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Try Meetups.com. I was out of work for a year and I started going to IT related Meetups,
Meetups that peak my interest. I went just to talk to new people and introduce myself.
To fine out what company's were looking for in the area I lived.
I found it real helpful when I was interviewing because I was not rusty talking about
what I was looking for, what I did.
Check out start-up meetups.
Luck be with you.
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I can honestly say that I never got a job through my CV. It helps to know someone. Personal recommendation is worth more than a super resume so get to know as many people as you can and sell yourself eyeball to eyeball. Create a portfolio to show off. Above all don't give up and keep checking the agencies and ads.
Lots of luck.
I may not last forever but the mess I leave behind certainly will.
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Try craigslist.com. Under jobs main title type in what your looking to do.
There are lot of positions available.
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Pick a programming language that you are interested in . Practice it by developing some useful applications , you can use sites like pluralsight.com to get to know about the technology(montly subscription), Use stackoverflow.com and browse through the categories related to programming language that you picked . I particularly mention stackoverflow because, lots of developers post the difficulties that they faced during their programming job and experts provide solutions. BY going through those questions and solutions you can learn a lot about real time application development ofcourse with practise. Once you are confident, apply for the jobs related to programming language you picked , you can easily get through technical interviews.Also try freelancer.com to get some money flowing in. Happy Programming 
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Lots of good advice here. I think the problem is not networking but the skills or lack of them that you can offer a prospective employer.
I suggest:
1. Spend time building up your skill based quickly rather then networking with the same ineffective results.
2. Pick a language and technology area (one that will get you a job and which you'll be happy or content with).
3. Do a coding marathon for 2 weeks where you build a program or website that works, is useful, and applies to a business situation that will help land you a job.
4. Post it to the web, do an article on it for Code Project, put it on your website (you have one right?) along with blog posts and/or descriptions on how and what you did.
5. Write up a simple Word document highlighting what you did with screen shots. Use it as a support document with your resume/CV (and referenced in it).
5. Now network. Use your showcase document during interviews. You'll get much more interest and eventually a job because you can show people that you can build software not just be a wannabee.
- Grant
PS: And then keep going/repeating this to build your skills, knowledge, experience, and showcase software. You'll be successful because most wannabees don't want to spend the time and effort to actually build things. And virtually no company nowadays will invest in training for junior programmers so you'll have to do it yourself. Best of luck!
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I think D@nish is on the right track with posting your work to Codeplex, etc., but an even better solution to your "when I have nothing built from before" problem is to volunteer to do some real-world projects for non-profit organizations on a consulting or pro bono basis, in return for them providing great reference recommendations and letting you talk in depth about your project (omitting anything proprietary about the organization, of course). Non-profits tend to be unable to afford serious programmers, but still have real business needs. Since there is no financial risk, they will not be as picky in interviews, so it will be easier to get your foot in the door and get the valuable project experience you need when pitching yourself for more serious programming jobs.
Glenn
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I don't network anymore. Today there was a nice article about internet trolls. Well, the worst trolls you will find are within the recruitment industry.
modified 20-Oct-19 21:02pm.
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Local user groups are a great way to meet people informally who are in the industry. I have personally never found work this way, but on numerous occasions I have seen others do just that. Plus attending these meetings will help plug those gaps you mentioned.
Recruiters, a good recruiter will find you a job.
I tell this to everybody I know in a situation similar to yours (not that uncommon) - get visual studio express, build a windows phone app in C#, publish it. Even if nobody downloads it, this is a great resume builder. If java/android is more your thing then go that route. What better way to address questions about competency in a language then to show you published an app in that language.
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I'm cleaning down an old laptop before handing it over to begin its new life. It is genuinely cathartic to uninstall some of this software (e.g. SQL Server 2005, Adobe... well, Adobe anything, HP Printer drivers galore...)
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You should definitely format it... 3 times... After any of those aforementioned softwares have touched a computer their smell lasts for long...
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May be it's just me. Youtube video here[^]
SFW
"Bastards encourage idiots to use Oracle Forms, Web Forms, Access and a number of other dinky web publishing tolls.", Mycroft Holmes[ ^]
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That was a very interesting video.
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Unfortunately, I had to endure this interview type show today where a guy talks to a couple of film personalities. It's an English language show. It's more or less similar to any other show. Something like those old guys on US TV interviewing people (I have no clue what their name is).
Although, my personal problem is when most of these actor try to do a US accent. Not entirely, but a few words which are extremely easy to pick up as an Indian. I don't get it. Why? Why on Earth would you do that? There is no globally accepted accent standard which we all have to adhere to. Phonetically, it is quite close to impossible to do it 100% accurate.
"Bastards encourage idiots to use Oracle Forms, Web Forms, Access and a number of other dinky web publishing tolls.", Mycroft Holmes[ ^]
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And this my friend, is known as show-off!
I don't understand why do they do that when Indian accent is neutral and in my opinion is the best! I like it more than any other accent! 
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