Despite the strong sense that networking with people in your industry is the best way to land a new job, most people seem to be have gotten their first interview for their current job via online applications. This should ease the worries of those lacking networking skills, and also alert veteran job seekers that a strong out-of-the-blue online application may mean more to 2019 hiring managers than a resume from an internal contact.
Respondents were asked to choose from five answers to the question “How did you get your first interview at your current company?” Their choices were “applied online,” “referral,” “recruiter,” “networking,” and “other.” 34% of respondents reported that they got their initial jobs thanks to an initial online application. Just 9% voted for networking. This info comes from the latest reading of an ongoing study by Comparably. More than 10,000 people replied to the query.
Women rely on applying online ever more than men
While both men and women chose online application as the answer, women’s responses imply that they are far more reliant on that process than men. Women chose “applied online” at a rate of 39%, compared to 29% for men. Men voted nearly as often for “referral” (28%), but women ranked that method at 25%, a full 14 points lower than online job searching. This implies that female job-seekers are not still not getting work from older, more established methods such as from referrals or recruiters, but that more modern methods – also perhaps more democratic – are finally serving their needs.
Applying online is the most fruitful method in most major US cities
Answers varied most in San Francisco and Boston, where referral is still the most tried and true method of getting a first interview for a potential new job. In San Francisco, referral was the clear winner, with applying online and using recruitment services nearly tied for 2ndplace. The story was similar in Boston, with referral at 33% and applying online 2ndwith 28%. Other answer, including “recruiter,” lagged farther behind.
San Francisco
Boston
The latest reading is as of Jan. 16.
