Guest Post by Mitchell Duncombe
Where is the first place you turn when you decide you are ready for a job in college?
Do you search websites like Monster.com? Go to a job/internship fair? Drop off copies of your resume at multiple businesses?
As a sophomore in college, I have worked 6 different jobs—starting with babysitting in 9th grade, and most recently working as an intern on Capitol Hill. Despite access to internet websites like Monster.com with millions of job postings, I acquired five of my six jobs through word of mouth and networking. I assumed that most people found jobs through other mediums but when I did a little research, I found out that acquiring jobs through networking was actually the norm.
In a recent NY Times survey, 64 % of respondents said they found their job through networking, compared to the 12 % that found their jobs through search firms like Monster.com. Why do we find jobs this way? Because a person, not the piece of paper that is our resume, personally vouches for our accomplishments and can describe our work ethic and talents.
This isn’t to say that people don’t find jobs through online search websites. In 2008, Monster.com maintained over a million active jobs at a time, and had 150 million resumes circulating worldwide. The success rate of monster.com, however, is disheartening. Only 3.6 % of people who apply for Monster jobs are successful, which is almost twice as high a rate as other job search sites like careerbuilder.com. To be successful at online job searching, experts recommend applying for hundreds of jobs, and remaining optimistic regardless of your success.
What about ‘older’ methods of job applying, like sending a hardcopy of your resume to potential employers? Counselors at my college career center strongly advised against it, and said it would make young-people look out of touch with technology. They suggested emailing resumes instead, and expecting low success rates.
Looking ahead, networking presents the best opportunity to acquire jobs. As I look for a job next summer, the applications for the three places where I want to work include a section for ‘people I know’ inside the firms. In one of the applications, an effective recommendation could even exempt an applicant from all of the companies’ applicant requirements.
The lesson? In today’s work environment, where there are so many qualified people that hundreds of them will undoubtedly look better than you on paper, develop your relationships and build your network. Treat personal relationships as more than just friendships or acquaintanceships. Make an effort to nurture maintain them in the years to come, and use them to find a job.
