Sitting in front of a computer for most of the day and night and searching Internet job sites and scrolling down Facebook are not how most people find jobs. Most jobs are found through networking — such as telling people you’re looking for work.
But the definition of networking is changing from going out and meeting people in person or calling them on the phone, to networking on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networks online. A recent report by the job seeker website Simply Hired found that 37 percent of job seekers got their last job through networking, 20 percent through a job board (presumably online), 15 percent through a company career site, 15 percent through a staffing agency, and 13 percent through a recruiter.
Everything is moving online
That’s a lot of time in front of a computer, with 86 percent of respondents saying look for jobs on the Internet and 32 percent through networking. The methods overlap as respondents used multiple ways to find work.
It’s depressing to think that most unemployed job seekers are sitting at a computer for most of their job search work. Getting out of the house and meeting people with similar interests and skills can lead to a hearing about a job opening long before it reaches the Internet, where many more people will learn about it and apply. But the idea of “networking” is changing, said Gautam Godhwani, CEO of Simply Hired.
“More and more these networking abilities are moving online,” Godhwani told AOL Jobs in a telephone interview. “The Internet has become the dominant way,” said Godhwani. “Competition is increasing for jobs, so getting the inside track through referrals is important.”
More job-hunting trends
The company’s report isn’t all doom and gloom for anyone who doesn’t want to be at their computer all day looking for work. Here are some other interesting tidbits:
- 83 percent would rather find a job they love for lower pay, and 17 percent would rather find a job that pays well that they don’t like.
- Working close to home is important to 46 percent, and 43 percent want their commute to be 30 minutes to one hour.
- Health Care insurance is the most important work-related benefit or amenity that is non-negotiable, with 46 percent choosing it.
- More than half (52 percent) want to work at a green company.
- About half (53 percent) said their current career is not even close to being relevant to their college major. Forty-three percent of college graduates didn’t have a job lined up when they graduated and are still looking for work.
- Of workers older than 55, 57 percent said the recession has delayed their retirement plans.
