Searching for a New Role? Networking and Job Boards at Top Says SFG Research Study

How do you find a new role in today's job market? As an outplacement firm we get asked that question every day. In our quest to answer it we are constantly gathering information from candidate experiences, and how they are finding jobs.

The Southlake Focus Group (SFG) is a career-transition group helping hundreds of professionals in career transition annually. CMP has supported SFG professionals and candidates through the years led by one of our key leaders, Charlie Zinger. At the end of each year, SFG conducts their annual review of landing announcements to ascertain how people are finding new jobs. Below are the results of a representative sample of more than 1800 announced landings for the last five years.

Key Conclusions
As a firm, we always encourage candidates in career transition to engage with all potential job sources in their search for the right new role. This is still true; however, the success data shows that networking consistently rates as the most prominent source of new jobs.

Key Conclusion: Effective and persistent networking is a critical method and skill for finding a new job.
Over the years we have seen the frustration many candidates have experienced in applying to jobs through online job boards and getting no response, or a perfunctory email back stating that they would not be under consideration for the role. It is true that applying through job boards should not be your sole approach to finding a job; however, the data supports that it can be an effective way to find employment. There are some tips and pointers for applying online – simple things like font type and whether your resume is uploaded in MS Word or PDF can make a difference. www.DONTDREADMONDAY.com can be a great resource as it offers real-time information on how to effectively navigate and stand out when working through public or company job boards.

Key Conclusion: Take the time to learn how to stand out when applying online.
LinkedIn is the seminal business networking platform and is used extensively by recruiting firms and company search professionals to source people when recruiting. As a global clearing house of talent, it is critical that you have an updated LinkedIn profile, and that you join LinkedIn groups in areas and industries you want to find a role.

Key Conclusion: Make it easy for recruiters to find you through a robust LinkedIn profile.
The use of external recruiters (Head Hunters) has gone down as many companies have brought the full recruiting function and spend into the company to save money and better control the search. However, external recruiters are still prevalent in more executive level roles.

Finally, the fundamental nature of jobs is changing. In 2018, 22% of people that landed assumed contract, temporary, or temp-to-perm roles. These non full-time roles are growing and should be considered as a legitimate option for many job seekers.

If you are looking for support in shaping your career or transitioning to a new job, or if you simply need resume and LinkedIn profile professional branding assistance, our consultants and technology will help you move forward with clarity, focus and success. To learn more about Don’t Dread Monday Career Coaching Click Here.