CEO of the Adler Group, Lou Adler, has revealed that his survey of 3,000 people found that 85% of all jobs are filled through social networking. Four groups were identified: (i) those who are unemployed; (ii) those who are employed and are actively seeking other work; (iii) those who are employed but are less active and are casually seeking other employment (they are the “tiptoers”); and (iv) those who are employed and passive. Across all of these categories, social networking came in top for how they found their job. The report claims that among the fourth group, 65-75% found work through networking.
In the age of LinkedIn, this is not at all surprising. A new emphasis has been placed on ‘who you know’, so that the saying ‘it’s not what you know but who you know’ is lived and breathed among high ranking professionals.
“Job seekers need to realize networking is not trying to meet as many people as possible. It’s about meeting a few well-connected people who can vouch for your ability and who are willing to refer you to a few other well-connected people” says Adler. He actually advises that a person should not spend more than 20% of their time with online job postings, suggesting instead that 20% of your time should be spent on tailoring your CV, and the 60% that is left should be used to focus on networking in order to find the “hidden job market”.
An interesting suggestion is that although networking takes much more time than filling in a standard application, it is worth the extra effort because sometimes hiring managers are more flexible about you meeting the job requirements if they already know you, or if you have been referred to them by a trusted individual. In an article published on LinkedIn, Adler states: “Before jobs are posted online they’re filled either internally or through a referral from a trusted source. Even better, candidates don’t need to be a perfect fit to be hired for these jobs. Instead they’re evaluated based on their track record of past performance, leadership ability and upside potential. Often the jobs are modified to better fit the career needs of the person being hired.”
Notably, even if these claims are true, in order for networking to have a positive impact on your job search, you still have to do it well. One important aspect to remember is that networking should be mutually advantageous. Nobody wants to help someone who is only ever concerned about themselves. Take the opportunity to help people whenever you can, because they will be more willing to help you when you need it.
If Adler’s survey is a realistic representation of how important networking is for the job-seeking process, it could be that people are failing to make the most of it. A report published by Reed found that even though 53% of those surveyed use social media to find jobs, 70% of them do not maintain their profiles or keep them up to date. And while the use of social media can be positive for job-seeking executives, it also has the potential to be extremely harmful. It is now common for employers to search candidates’ social media profiles, and though this could (and does) result in people being passed over for work, Reed’s report claims that 60% of those surveyed said they are unconcerned about this fact.
However, some candidates at the very least should be concerned, because even though it can be a great tool for networking, social media has the potential to be a double-edged sword if it’s not used wisely.
