Marketplace Money had a story this week on the importance of online networks in looking for jobs.

Mark Gentry, a recruiter interviewed in the story notably said:

Right now, if you sent me a resume in a envelope, there's little chance that I'll even open it. And the first thing I'm going to do when I get it is I'm gonna look online to see where you are. And if you're not online, then I'm going to think, well, why aren't you online? Are you even current to the market? Do you even understand what's going on in the world?

This discussion comes after a recent discussion at the office over whether to require applicants to use an online system for recruiting to a high-level position. Of course I'm biased because the story on Marketplace Money reaches the same conclusion that I do in believing that Linked In is the premiere place for professional networking. Although I recently added a My Space profile, for example, I doubt much professional traffic will come from it.