One-half of jobseekers expect to get new job by networking: Survey

1 in 5 say Internet job board will play a role

Jobseekers think they will get their next job thanks to networking, according to a recent survey.

Whether currently employed or unemployed, one-half of those surveyed expect that person-to-person networking is how they will find their next position, found the poll of 557 United States and Canadian jobseekers by Right Management.

“These findings track well with actual outcomes,” said Monika Morrow, senior vice-president of career management at Right Management. “It turns out that face-to-face contact is how more than half of our candidates find new employment based on firm data for the past five years.”

One in five (22 per cent) jobseekers think their next position will come from a posting on an Internet job board.

“Nowadays job searches may begin through social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. By itself, however, job boards are about half as effective in actual circumstances, just as the individuals surveyed anticipate,” said Morrow.

Nineteen per cent believe their next job will come about because of an employment agency or recruiter. And eight per cent imagine it will result from cold calling, or contacting a prospective employer directly.

Only one per cent expect a newspaper ad to play a role.

“There’s constantly something new in the job search world, particularly as it relates to social media,” said Morrow. “For years, recruiters have been losing ground to the Internet and social media. Likewise, classified print ads hardly play a role any longer.”

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