Proven Again: Networking is the most effective job search technique

Excerpted from Gerry Crispin, SPHR and Mark Mehler

Founders & Principals,

8th Annual Source of Hire Study: What Happened in 2008 and What It Means for 2009

February, 2009

Key findings for 2008 include

-- Internal Transfers and Promotions were 38.8% of ALL the F/T positions a company

fills. Nine firms are at or above 50%. Cleary the data reflects a shift in emphasis to filling internally and squeezing external hires.

 -- Referrals (employee, alumni, vendor, etc.) make up 27.3% of all external hires and is

arguably the number one external source. (Employee referrals make up most of this

category but Alumni referrals are growing.)The efficiency of referrals is one of the

single most important characteristics of US hiring practices. 26 firms tracked the

number of referrals as well as hires from referrals. More than 17,000 positions were

filled from just fewer than 200,000 referrals or 1 hire for every 11.2 referrals!

-- Hires attributed to Job Boards (not including the company site) represent 12.3% of

external hires. Within the category, Monster has lost ground to CareerBuilder. The two of

them account for half the job board hires but both are losing ground to the “long-tail”

of niche sites, social networks and other online search engine marketing capabilities

that are expanding their reach.

 -- The most visible trend in 2008 is the pressure to reduce hires (and associated costs)

attributed to third-party recruiters, newspapers and traditional job boards. A steady

growth of sourcing tactics especially social networks and search engine marketing is

also evident.

 

What does this mean for prospective candidates? How can a candidate improve their access to potential positions? Networking into target employers by forming relationships with current employees and connecting with company alumni are increasingly successful job sourcing techniques, beating out job boards and corporate websites. How to establish these targeted contacts? Using social media is one effective method mentioned. Job hunters should also participate in chats, forums, post to elists, attend industry meetings, participate in conferences, introduce themselves to authors to start a dialogue which may produce leads, and cold call hiring decision makers to introduce themselves and their potential value contribution to an organization. The facts are in!  Inside contacts definitely are useful and do produce hiring opportunities. Networking continues to be a very worthwhile job search activity. In fact, networking is the best way to find a new position other than being an internal candidate. And by the way, for internal candidates, not all positions are posted; some internal hires are generated through, you guessed it, internal networking referrals.

 

 

Posted by Debra Feldman

Comments

[Karen]

So true. I was told by a recruiter last week (after being laid off for months) that my LinkedIn was not up to par. I started networking like crazy and have had great feedback. I found this article also useful when I started my research of "how" to start with updating my profile: http://vjournal.com/linkedin-tips

[Greg Paskill]

I've never obtained any of my positions through networking. I really like cold calling and presenting myself straight to employers. I like when employers see that I took the time to research them and they respond enthusiastically in kind without a middleman.

Networking is oversold as a job searching tool. It doesn't deliver the goods in an instant in our impatient world as it proclaims.

Employers say they want people who are self-starters and self-motivated. Why then must I wait for someone to introduce me? Why not go direct?

I do believe in having industry contacts. It is valuable to find out what's happening in your field and exchange opinions. However, if you're developing a network just so you hope you can land jobs, you'll find a very empty existence professionally and personally.

Furthermore, if the catch phrase is "think outside the box," then it's imperative to think outside your network too. Why limit yourself to only those you know? Why not market what you know, especially to employers with the need? Aren't they strangers who you can transform to friends/business partners?

[Career Sherpa]

Karen: thanks for posting this study and pointing out what it really means for the job seeker.

I also referenced the study on my blog today!

http://hannahmorgan.typepad.com/hannah_morgan/2009/03/how-companies-filled-jobs-in-2008.html

[Dennis Buckmaster]

"Proven Again: Networking is the most effective job search technique"

• Seems to be written from the employers point of view. Not the job seeker.

"Networking into target employers by forming relationships with current employees and connecting with company alumni are increasingly successful job sourcing techniques, beating out job boards and corporate websites."

• How the heck is an unemployed person supposed to connect with current employees or company "alumni"? Especially, if they are making career or industry changes.

" Job hunters should also participate in chats, forums, post to elists, attend industry meetings, participate in conferences, introduce themselves to authors to start a dialogue which may produce leads, and cold call hiring decision makers to introduce themselves and their potential value contribution to an organization."

• You've got to be kidding. Who has time to mess around with this stuff? It's way to convoluted. Why, not just contact the hiring authority directly? The rest of these steps are huge time wasters. Have these people ever conducted a job search? Their ideas sound like "college" level theory.

"And by the way, for internal candidates, not all positions are posted; some internal hires are generated through, you guessed it, internal networking referrals."

• Not only are, "Positions not posted" many jobs are filled by the "hiring authority" before they've informed anyone else. And, the "search" process is only conducted to verify their decision or to meet EEOC requirements.

The lesson: Contact hiring authorities directly, they're the ones who know what's going on.

I really like what Greg Paskill blogged.

[Dennis Buckmaster]

I think a look at the "Natural Job Market" will be helpful.

(Just copy and paste into your browser)

www.dennisbuckmasterassociates.com/where-are-the-better-jobs/naturaljobmarketvsunnaturalvictimjobmarket

With more than 30 years guiding 30,000 people (directly or via my staff) through job searches I've seen all the fads come and go - "informational interviews," "referral interviews," "video resumes," "job boards," "job clubs" "job mixers," "self-help groups," "What Color Is Your Parachute," ad nauseam.

Sure any plan is better than no plan. However, some, just marginally so. I think I have an excellent view of what's effect and not from the job seekers side.

Here is a link to my “5 Job Search Time Wasters”

http://www.dennisbuckmasterassociates.com/five-job-search-time-wasters

In my opinion, networking is the most over promoted job finding strategy ever. It either works instantaneously because some people have spent years nurturing their network and are just darn good schmoozers; and, they are staying in a tightly defined employment role and industry; or, networking becomes a very long drawn out futile, expensive, demoralizing process, especially as people need to journey away from their previous work, change careers, abandon dead markets and move to new venues.

Ironically, some of the hardest working, technically competent, smartest professionals are not particularly good at networking; and/or the have been more involved in their daily work, family, church, and other pursuits to spend time cultivating networks. Frankly, they hate “schmoozing.” To many it’s totally artificial and repugnant.

What can they do? Develop real job finding strategies based on solid marketing principals.

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