The Great Shoe-Leather Tour
I don't really get why it's called shoe leather, but according to Ryan Teague Beckwith, that's the process by which adult journalists, when they've finally hatched out of the egg colloquially known as j-school, go out, meet editors, and attempt to find a newsroom herd they can fly south with, or something along those lines.
The article reminded me of the recent Will Smith movie "The Pursuit of Happyness," if only in the sense that it was about the role of determination and tenacity in landing a decent job.
Beckwith does outline a good set of tips though, although knowing people seems to be a good part of it, so I suppose I should continue networking, which will continue to be a valuable skill to possess.
In addition to that, he suggets doing research before meeting editors, especially about the publication you are applying for, and how difficult it is to get editors to look at your resume and clips, no matter how (un)qualified you may be for the postion available.
He also suggests to bring plenty of clips (got 'em...) and lastly to seize the moment during the interview, a smile and some confidence never hurt anyone right? Apparently they can take you quite a long way.