All job seekers should network. Most of them know full well they should. It's taking the first step - picking up the phone - that frequently trips them up.

By some estimates, each of us knows about 500 other people. To assemble a networking list, the diligent job seeker could simply write down the name of everyone they know: relatives, neighbors, friends, teachers, clergy, stylist, personal trainer, book club pals and Christmas card list. Don't stop at 500, of course. And don't worry if your list falls far short of that. A job seeker needn't contact anywhere near 500 or have 500 on the list when they begin. A list of 20 to 30 is a good place to start.

Resist the temptation to make value judgments about who belongs on the list. Some people seem to think that those who wear suits, commute downtown and work for a big-name company are the only folks with whom to network. But everyone will have some amount of information to give. A successful personal trainer, say, may be far more tuned in than you might at first suspect.

It might make the job easier to sort names by categories: family, friends, past co-workers, schoolteachers, people from church, and the like. The first call may be the most difficult, but with persistence, the process will get easier.

Look for ways to keep your momentum going. Unemployed people who ask directly if their contact knows about any job openings dread the response, "I can't think of anything right now." Then is the time to ask, Well, if you don't know of anyone hiring do you know anyone who might have information for me?'

Before you start talking to people you need to have a firm grasp on your needs, hopes, likes, dislikes, strengths, accomplishments, experience, interests, dislikes, values and objectives. Take time to assess your strengths and goals. Organize your profile into a personal summary and write it out on a card or a single piece of paper. You can have it with you all the time. A job seeker trying to network without goals is like a boat without a rudder.

Use this summary as you contact members of your network. There are many such scripts with blank spaces for you to fill in with your facts. Career specialist Donald Asher calls this "the elevator speech" or "the 30-second introduction." It should tell who you are, why you are calling and what you want."

Here is an example: "Hello Mr. Jones, My name is Susie. I was referred to you by Bob Lankard. I am interested in learning more about becoming a physician's assistant. I am just finishing my RN training. I wonder if you would have a moment to share with me any advice, ideas, leads and referrals."

Keep in mind that your calls should focus not on you and your needs but on those with whom you're networking. "It's all about them," says Susan Reynolds, partner at Newmarket Careers, Santa Clarita, Calif., a job search and career strategy firm. "Careful questioning and listening techniques are probably more important than you yakking along about yourself. Meet people more than half way in showing excellent interest in them, their company, how they got the position they're in, how it's going for them, etc. By listening carefully, you'll be able to interject appropriate stories about your own background, as well as your hopes for career growth. You'll be able to look interesting and useful."

The full-frontal assault - asking if your contact knows about a job opening - is risky and probably not the best approach, Reynolds believes. "If you charge around just asking if anyone knows of any open jobs, you'll probably come up short. I recently solved a major problem just by humorously mentioning my plight to a new acquaintance. She provided an immediate solution that benefited not only me, but her partners. Networking works," Reynolds concludes, "but only if you do it, proactively and consistently."