How are people finding jobs right now?

So I did an HR internship for a global organization while in school and they had a statistic that over 75% of jobs are filled through networking. We used that as a basis to teach folks how to better leverage their networks.

New technologies such as online job boards, meta search engines, company career sites, etc. disseminate information about job openings much faster, broader and more efficiently than what we've ever seen. So with all this technology is old fashioned networking still the best way to find a job?

What do you think?

Tip for connecting on LinkedIn

I receive a lot of invitations on LinkedIn. I also send out a lot of invitations. When you send out an invitation make sure you add a brief personable explanation as to what your purpose is. There's a couple reasons why.

First, it's rude not to. Don't be rude by not explaining yourself. Especially, if the person you're trying to connect with doesn't know you from Adam. Would you go up to a person and talk business without introducing yourself? No. The same goes online. It's no different if you're a professional. So be professional.


Second, how will they know how to help you? I enjoy connecting people with others and helping out where I can. I can't do that if I don't know you or your intentions.


Help yourself out, drop a line to the folks you're connecting with on LinkedIn. You'll get a lot more positive responses.





 

Share Job Opportunities with Others

Let others know about the job opportunities you're pursuing. If you're excited about them and you share the positive experiences and details, this can spark them to share other opportunities with you.

For example, maybe they know other people in the industry of field you're looking into.

The more positive you are about your job search the more it will help.

Networking within the company you are applying to - Follow Up

I wanted to follow up on last weeks blog about networking within the company you're applying to.

Again, it can be a great help to create an internal advocate for you while you're in the interview process, but it can also backfire on you if your so called 'friend' or past work associate doesn't speak highly of you.

Many folks get good reviews through this method, but unfortunately some do not. Just make sure that you only mention people as references that would say good things about you. Otherwise leave it alone.

Having said that the HR people will do the best they can in their background checks to find an unbiased opinion of your abilities.

Networking within the company you are applying to

When you apply for any position you should connect with your network to find out if you know anyone that works at that company.

Many times I receive personal emails from coworkers about friends who have applied. This strengthens your credibility.

I usually at least give these folks a call because I trust the opinion of a lot of my coworkers. It doesn't mean you'll get the job, but at least you will increase your chances of getting a phone call.

Networking to find a job: Are you a parasite?

Here is a link to an article that brings up a few good points on how to network without ruining relationships:

http://alumni.byu.edu/s/1085/03-provo-Alumni/index.aspx?sid=1085&gid=7&pgid=3054