In a digital world, personal referrals haven't lost their potency: job hunters still expect networking to snag them a job.
More than half of job seekers 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 job seekers by Right Management.
“These findings track well with actual outcomes,” Monika Morrow, senior vice-president of career management at Right Management, said. “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%) job seekers 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,” Morrow said.
Almost as many (19%) believe their next job will come about because of an employment agency or recruiter. And 8% imagine it will result from cold calling, or contacting a prospective employer directly.
Only 1% 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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So what does this mean for the busy HR manager? Networking and referrals are more important than ever, and you never know where you might meet your next candidate. Consider every networking event an opportunity to head hunt, and keep in touch with people you think have potential – even if you don’t have a position for them right now.