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The news remains harsh regarding unemployment statistics. The national rate stands at just over 10%, while 11 of 50 states (a full 22 per-cent) now deal with double digit unemployment rates. Michigan, with its auto industry-heavy workforce seemingly on life support, leads the nation with 14.6% of its populace seeking work.

Californians have long experienced unemployment woes, and their jobless statistics stand at 12.1%. So when a California-based employment journal recommends that job-seekers augment their online job search with social media tools, its best to listen to their advice.

In a web-posting entitled Give your job search more direction, the California Job Journal recommends Linked-In as a mandatory job search process.

Complete a profile on LinkedIn.com and you’ve taken an important step toward creating a powerful online network. It takes, on average, 65 contacts to create a network large enough to result in substantial and meaningful findings on LinkedIn, notes Victoria Snabon-Heath, career services director at The Art Institute of Tampa. She urges jobseekers to set themselves apart from the ordinary, dime-a-dozen applicants who inundate companies on a daily basis. “Go social. Begin utilizing virtual, social marketing techniques in addition to your online job search.”

The Linked-In buzz has been present on the Internet for well over a year now, and I’ve spent the better part of the last few weeks coaxing friends and family towards the career based social network. With features allowing recommendations, quick-and-easy group establishment and membership, and question-and-answer modules, it certainly is more robust than traditional job boards, and allows for more social interactions between members.

But with all its great features, I have yet to personally hear a Linked-In success story, although a few minutes of Google research reveals a few successes.

Has anyone yet been hired thanks to their Linked-In profiles? How about consulting gigs or other employment situations. Let’s hear it in the comments if you’ve had any type of positive interaction on Linked-In, other than finding and reconnecting to lost colleagues.