"I start my new job on Oct. 26!" When Lisa Godoski e-mailed me these words, she made my day. I knew her job search had been a long one. Yet every time I heard from her she was so upbeat.

As an active member of Businesspersons Between Jobs, Lisa contacted me from time to time with news she thought I should know. In fact, that's how we met. I needed some information and she was more than willing to share.

Being willing to share strategies, leads and even some "that went horribly wrong" moments seems to be a common trait among job seekers who attend BBJ and other employment networking meetings. Truthfully, it's often when the members get talking and sharing that the best advice comes.

Don't believe me? Then, go to a Businesspersons Between Jobs, Catholic Employment Network, GO! Network, BounceBack St. Louis or other networking event and start asking questions. You might be surprised how many job seekers are willing to put aside their search for a moment and help with yours. Less than 24 hours after hearing Lisa's exciting news, my nephew invited me to attend his first Catholic Employment Network meeting with him. The presentation was interesting and the speaker was helpful, but the really good stuff started after the formal presentation was over.

"How do I ..."? "I need information on ...?" "What do you think about ...?"

Whatever question was tossed out, someone gathered around that table in the cafeteria at St. Joseph's seemed to have an answer. A group of about six of us, including the guest speaker, had stayed behind and were trading ideas, job leads and contact information.

"Try this," someone would say. "I might be able to help with that," another person offered. "It's worth a shot," we all said more than once.

We were the last ones to leave the meeting. In fact, the custodian had to kick us out so she could lock up the building.

In the parking lot, my nephew confided, "That was more helpful than I thought it would be."

He had been putting off attending a CEN, BBJ, GO! Network or other event.

"Frankly, I was a little intimidated," he admitted. "But that was really helpful and everyone was surprisingly nice."

I pointed out that the speaker had generously stayed in the rain to answer questions until 9:45 p.m. when she lived at least 45 minutes away.

What's the lesson here?

People really do want to help in your search. True, sometimes the advice doesn't work. But sometimes it does. And, it's usually worth a try.

It's like someone said around that table, "Job seeking is like throwing darts at a target. Sometimes you have to throw handfuls of darts before one sticks."

Frustrating? To be sure. But Lisa's advice would be that you have to jump in the game and stay in it, too.

When I first met her, Lisa explained that the reason she jumped into a volunteer role with BBJ was to keep her skills sharp and, perhaps, develop some new ones. It worked for her.

Who knows? Maybe someone you meet at one of these events will be the person who gives you that winning piece of advice or offers to pass your resume along to someone you never would have connected with on your own.

Sometimes it takes a team. Who's on yours?