Web sites like Indeed.com and LinkedIn.com have multiplied the number of job openings you can track and the professional contacts you can make. E-mail and smartphones make it easier to pitch yourself and set up appointments.

But in the end, landing the right job hinges on old-world skills.

"The electronic piece usually just gets your foot in the door," said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology, a tech industry recruiting division of Menlo Park staffing consultant Robert Half International. "You still have to present yourself well face-to-face in an interview, and you have to have good references," he said.

Willmer and Kate Wendleton, president of the Five O'Clock Club, a New York career counseling company, said that job seekers frequently misuse electronic gadgets and the Web and run roughshod over professional etiquette. Some of their advice:

Avoid e-mail blasts: Resist the temptation to respond to each online job listing in your field, and focus on those that fit the best. Only about 6 percent of jobs are filled by candidates recruited through advertisements, Wendleton said. If you can use personal contacts to learn about an opening that's not widely publicized, your chances of landing the job increase.

Embrace snail mail: In your first contact with a prospective employer, you're unlikely to stand out if you join the legions of job seekers sending "hire me" pitches via e-mail with resumes attached.

Get personal: If you resort to e-mail pitches, make them personal. If you're introducing yourself to a hiring manager you've identified via a professional colleague, type that colleague's name in the e-mail's subject line and succinctly explain the connection so the manager is less likely to hit delete.

Avoid follow-up foibles: If you land an interview, pay close attention if the hiring manager specifies how to make any follow-up contacts. Whatever you do, don't follow up on an interview with an e-mail sent via a handheld gadget - there's too great a chance you'll thumb-type a typo-ridden message. Don't type without regard to grammar and capitalization, and resist including smiley faces or other emoticons in electronic messages.

Observe boundaries: Even if you managed to track down a hiring manager's cell phone number, don't call it unless given permission. "Cell phones are considered private," Wendleton said.

Stick with land lines: For any phone contact with a prospective employer, try to use a land line. With cell phones, there's too great a risk that you'll get a spotty connection, lose it altogether, or end up with excessive background noise. If you lack a land line, call from a quiet place like a hotel lobby. Have a pen and pad ready so you can jot down information.

Network the smart way: If you identify a hiring manager or other professional you'd like to connect with on an online networking site, don't merely send an electronic invitation without explaining why you want to get in touch.

Manage your digital footprint: Be judicious about what you post on social networking sites, and limit access to friends and family if it's something you wouldn't want an employer to see. Likewise, think before posting political opinions or personal information in blogs or other online forums. "As a job candidate, I would encourage people to be conservative," said Willmer. "Assume that anybody has access to anything."

This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle