5 Statistics that Matter for Your Job Search
Each year for the past nine years CareerXroads has conducted a survey about the sources of new hires. The most recent survey, “Meltdown in 2009 and What It Means for a 2010 Recovery” (full report available here), solicited source of hire stats for 43 large companies, who collectively filled 176,000 positions in 2009. While the sample size is small, and arguments can and have been made about the accuracy and applicability of the statistics, the survey results are nevertheless revealing, and have some important implications for how job seekers invest their job hunt energy.
CONSIDER:
Internal transfers and promotions were the source of 51% of all full-time hires in 2009. This is up by 19% from 2006.
Referrals account for 26.7% of all external hires, and yield an average of one hire for every 15 received.
Job boards and corporate career sites accounted for 22.3% and 13.2% of new hires respectively, 35.5% in total.
Third party recruiters accounted for 2.3% of all external hires in 2009, down from 5.2% in 2005.
2.3% of external new hires were people who walked in the door.
Weekly Roundup
In case you missed them, here are the posts (in descending order) our readers viewed the most last week:
Top Social Media Sites for Job Searching
Job Search Secret: Trade Shows
Twenty jobs that earn $20 an hour
From cnn.com
…to give you an idea of what occupations us “regular people” earn, here are 20 jobs that pay a median hourly wage of $20, which works out to $41,600 annually based on a 40-hour workweek.
1. Carpet installers
What they do: As their name implies, carpet installers prepare surfaces for carpet and then cut the pieces into the appropriate size for the room and ensure it’s properly installed.
Hourly median earning: $20.00*
2. Massage therapists
What they do: Massage therapists use their training in massage to help patients with pain, tension or other physical ailments.
Hourly median earning: $20.00
3. Outside collector
What they do: Outside collectors work on behalf of an organization to contact customers and clients who are delinquent in paying their bills.
Hourly median earning: $20.00
4. Vocational training instructor
What they do: Vocational training instructors educate students in vocational fields, often in vocational schools or other postsecondary institutions.
Hourly median earning: $20.02
5. Truck mechanic
What they do: Truck mechanics service large diesel trucks (think big rigs, not pick-up) and ensure they’re working properly.
Hourly median earning: $20.04
6. Tax examiners, collectors and revenue agents
What they do: Tax examiners, collectors and revenue agents each have specific duties, but all include ensuring that the government collects all the money it is owed and that people are handling their taxes properly.
Hourly median earning: $20.05
Read the entire article at http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/04/22/cb.20.jobs.20.dollars/index.html.
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We know we haven’t posted in a few days, but we’ve been hard at working getting a new site ready. Keep checking back…we’ll keep you posted on our progress!!
Top Social Media Sites for Job Searching
From About.com:
Networking is one of the most important components of job searching. Use these top social and professional networking sites to enhance your career and boost your job search, and learn how to use social networking sites to job search.
LinkedIn
How to use the full power of LinkedIn to job search, including effectively using your connections and utilizing all the information available on LinkedIn when you’re applying for jobs.
Facebook
If you’re using Facebook for professional networking, and more people are every day, here are tips on the best way to use Facebook when you’re job searching.
Twitter
Twitter is a social networking and microblogging service utilising instant messaging, SMS or a web interface. Twitter is open ended and people and companies use it in a variety of ways, including to job search.
MySpace
MySpace is a social networking website offering users the opportunity to connect through personal profiles, blogs, groups and other features.
Ning
Ning is an online service to create, customize, and share a social network. Users have used Ning to create online social networks about lots of subjects, including jobs and the job search.
Layoffs Not an Option for Some US Companies
From CNBC.com
Revenue may be down and the pressure to slash costs intense, but some U.S. companies say job cuts are not an option. Companies that have avoided layoffs amid this recession are the exception, not the rule. U.S. employers have cut 5.1 million jobs since the recession began, including 663,000 last month alone. But some are looking to shave costs while keeping their work forces intact, so that when the economy does turn around, they’ll be ready to ratchet up production again.
Economists say that’s a wise move. “If you overshoot on the downside and lay off workers, it puts the company at a disadvantage when the economy comes back to life,” said Sean Snaith, economics professor at the University of Central Florida. Continue reading
Company Contacts
Let’s start exchanging information that job seekers can use to connect with real people, not Applicant Tracking Systems.
For example, Fannie Mae has a ton of diverse openings across the US. Does anyone have a recruiter name for Fannie Mae? How about a the name and contact info of a Hiring Manager?
What about other companies you’ve applied to? Do you have contact information you can share?
Are you looking for contact information for a company? If so, enter your request under the comments.
So, let’s start helping each other: If you have an interest in applying directly to a REAL PERSON, add a comment here.
Your comment or request should look something like this:
COMPANY
CONTACT NAME
CONTACT EMAIL AND/OR PHONE
Weekly Roundup
In case you missed them, here are the top posts (in descending order) our readers viewed last week:
Job Search Secret: Trade Shows
Sallie Mae To Add 2,000 US Jobs
How To Find a Job
I just happened to stumble upon this amazing article yesterday as I was cooling my heels waiting to board a flight to New Jersey.
I had picked up the latest copy of Fortune magazine (the headline “How to Find a Job” caught my attention), and was THRILLED to see so many of the ideas and tips we’ve espoused here laid out in the article.
This is a MUST READ for every job seeker out there. We’ve talked endlessly here about the hidden job market, the resume black hole, and why it is vital that you find creative ways to reach the people responsible for hiring decisions.
So take a few minutes to read every line of this article. And please, go back and read some of the posts we’ve put up here, including:
Sallie Mae To Add 2,000 US Jobs (warning: this will give you one of the “secrets” to locating real people in a company!)
Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac: 3,000+ Jobs
From the New York Times:
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are suffering from an exodus of senior and midlevel managers. The companies have been unable to replace executives who have either been pushed aside as part of last year’s government takeover, or who sought refuge at less stigmatized companies offering better pay and a more predictable future.
News articles are another great resource for finding the elusive hidden job market. A quick search at Indeed.com shows that Fannie Mae has over 1,300 openings!
Jobs at Discount Retail Companies
From the Family Dollar website:
Family Dollar, a Fortune 500 company, is headquartered just outside of Charlotte, NC, and is one of the fastest growing discount retail chains in the United States. Family Dollar operates over 6,600 stores in a contiguous 44-state area ranging northeast to Maine, southeast to Florida, as far northwest as Idaho and southwest to Arizona.
A visit to their career pages will show hundreds of openings across the country. This includes openings in their stores, distribution centers, or home office. A profile posted on their website provides a nice overview of what they’re about:
Over 6,600 stores located in 44 states.
Competitive Pay and Benefits for full & part-time associates
Excellent Growth Potential
Committed to promoting from within
Hands-on Training Programs
Merit-based promotions and regular Performance Appraisals
Successful, Stable Company
Job Search Secret: Trade Shows
As we’ve mentioned here before, about 80% of jobs are never advertised, so consider adding another useful tool to your job search toolbox: Trade Shows and Industry Association gatherings.
One of the best activities for locating unadvertised or hidden jobs is attending industry- or product-related trade shows. Because only 20% or so of jobs appear on the boards or a company web site, get a leg up on your competition and go after the 80% of jobs that few others are looking for. [Also, the Conference Board reports that “in April, there were 2.4 advertised vacancies posted online for every 100 persons in the labor force, down from a high of 2.9 in April 2007.”]
In fact, CareerXroads recently conducted a study that concluded “12.3 percent of external hires come through job boards.” Take a look at the following “Sources of Hire” breakdown that came out of that study.
CareerXroads Sources of Hire
Some of their key findings include:
[Companies’] desire to reduce hires (and associated costs) attributed to third-party recruiters, newspapers and job boards, while increasing tactics connected to social networks and search engine marketing to how important referrals are to recruiting.”
Yahoo! has an impressive list of conventions and trade shows here. By drilling down in each category, you can locate the events of interest to you and make plans to mingle with your peers. This will help you accomplish a number of things:
3,706 Social Networking Jobs
Social networking jobs via Indeed Job Trends.
Read more to see where the jobs are located.
Weekly Roundup
In case you missed them, here are the top posts (in descending order) our readers viewed last week:
Sallie Mae To Add 2,000 US Jobs
Disrupt the Status Quo — Avoid The Resume Black Hole
An Open Letter to Human Resources Leadership
The Job Exchange 