[lief79]

First two jobs were networking, remainder were through recruiters or online ads (note, this is quite unusual). For reference sake, my first job was at a company I had interned with, and my second job was due to me ending up at my soon to be bosses house for a swing dance lesson the week after my resume had crossed his desk. When you are just starting, it's all about catching the right peoples attention from the hundreds to thousands of resumes that they see.

Suggestions:

Figure out where you want to look, and what the hot technologies are. In the Philly area, if you can demonstrate knowledge of Spring and Hibernate, you'll get far more offers then not anyone not having it.

Network: Join the local JUG, IEEE, etc. The more people you know, the better.

Volunteer: Something to add to your resume, and you'll get to know more people.

Read: Grab "What color is your parachute?" out of your local library. It's a great starting point for any job hunt.

Most importantly, keep at it. Actively job hunt and program. Sitting around playing games and randomly commenting on the internet are far less likely to connect you with the people you need. Do something that you can add to your resume.