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Find out if you're using the most effective job-search strategies
 While we haven't returned to the early 1990's, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor the unemployment rate edged up again in April. The unemployment rate increased from 4.3 to 4.5 percent. These figures include another decrease in employment for adult women (.2 percent).
That doesn't mean it's time to hit the panic button. However, it never hurts to be prepared. Always keep your resume updated and be ready to move into the job-search mode if you need to. And, if you don't already have them, build your networking skills.
How do you look for a job? Do you browse the newspapers? Spend time surfing the Net? Reach out to everyone you know? Smart job-hunters have several job-hunting strategies. The trick has been trying to figure out which techniques are the most effective.
Well, figuring it out just got easier. According to a recent survey, networking and personal contacts are the most popular and most effective methods for finding employees and finding jobs. Conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal.com, the poll asked respondents to indicate which search tactics they used and which they found most effective.
Overall, the survey indicates that candidates and employers use similar search tactics. According to the poll, 95 percent of job seekers and 95 percent of human resources professionals use networking and personal contacts to find and fill positions. Both groups also rated this method as the most effective.
As the old saying goes: who you know can be as important as what you know. In addition to networking, survey results show that employee referral programs are another widely used and winning way to find and fill jobs.
How did other search strategies fare? While most job seekers (96 percent) turn to Internet job postings to find employment, HR professionals (96 percent) rely heavily on newspaper ads to attract employees. Among the 20 choices listed, people looking for jobs and employers trying to connect with them most often used the following methods.
Job Seekers
- Internet Job Postings
- Networking
- Newspaper Ads
Human Resource Professionals
- Newspaper Ads
- Networking
- Employee Referrals
The five tactics rated most effective were:
Job Seekers
- Networking and Personal Contacts
- Referrals from Employees
- Headhunters
- Internet Job Postings
- Temp-to-Hire Positions
Human Resources Professionals
- Networking and Personal Contacts
- Internet Job Postings
- Employee Referral Programs
- Headhunters
- Newspaper Ads
Even if you're not actively looking, it never hurts to be ready to move. Always keep your resume current. Stay open to new opportunities. And never, ever burn bridges behind you.
As this survey shows, the most effective ways to find a job involve connecting with other people. Networking, personal contacts and referrals from employees were rated among the top three methods by employers and job seekers.
Yesterday's co-worker may be tomorrow's boss. A previous employee may be in the position to recommend you for a job. The next time you have the opportunity to lend a hand remember, the person you help today may help you tomorrow.
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