The best way to find a job in 2010 is via a referral, preferably from someone inside a company. If using a social network happens to yield this result, all the better, shows a January recruiting and sourcing study.

A slight majority of full time hires in 2009–51 percent–were internal employee promotions or lateral internal moves, according to a recent study focused on hiring and employee sourcing. The report comes from CareerXroads, whose annual Source of Hire study evaluates the who, what, where and how of company hiring and recruiting trends. The jump in internal hires is up 12 percent from 2008 where internal hires accounted for 39 percent of total employee sourcing.

“The spike in internal movement is a strong artifact of the recession and suppressed many other Sources of Hire,” wrote the authors of the study and founding partners in CareerXroads, Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler. “Expect internal movement to fall to more normal levels in 2010.”

It’s no surprise that 2009 was a tough year on hiring, but the study that polled 41 enterprise companies suggests a decrease in internal hires and some growth in external hiring in 2010 is coming.

Resource Library:
“This year, only 10.8 percent predicted further reductions in hiring while 48 percent expect to grow and the remainder to hold steady,” said the study. “If realized, the predictions for 29 percent growth in 2010 would bring the recruiting function back to front and center.”

Where are recruiters looking to source job candidates in 2010? Social media, search engine optimization and reduce the number of external job boards used “major job boards particularly.” The No. 1 source for external hires of full time employees was employee referrals at 27 percent. Other sources included Website job boards and social media, though social networks saw a decrease in the number of sourcers using social media to track candidates, so the technology was not as leveraged as expected. On referrals and social media, the study said:

“The yield for referrals is one hire for every 15 referrals, making this category the most efficient source by far. The growth of social media could change the dynamic of referrals and firms need
to re-examine their efforts to stay ahead of the curve.”

The implication is that the best way to find a job in 2010 is via a referral, preferably from someone inside a company. If using a social network happens to yield this result, all the better. Here is how Mehler characterized the study’s implications to The Wall Street Journal:

“Job seekers should use job board and corporate sites to find information about openings, but they should use their network to apply.”

Some of the most telling information in the study, outside the large internal hire spike, is the lack of tracking of what the human resource industry calls “contingent” workers, or what we know as temporary, freelance, contract or consultant work–something that is expected to keep growing in 2010, especially in technology. Essentially, the report suggests that recruiters and sourcers are not responsible for tracking contingent workers at all. Here is some “contingent” perspective from the study:

“[W]e did ask firms to provide us with an estimate of the size of their contingent population. Figure 1 shows 30 percent of the respondents saying they ‘really don’t know and can’t even guess’ the size of their contingent population. The reality is that most firms do not have responsibility for managing or tracking contingent workers. Of the firms who can estimate the size of their contingent population, the average percentage reported is 13.6 percent. Some experts predict this number may double or triple in the next few years and staffing leaders not in touch with contingent workers are likely to fall behind.

The technology job board Dice, which is known for having a large base of contract and consulting opportunities, garnered .8 percent of the number of hires. By comparison, CareerBuilder took 42 percent (though the WSJ reported that one company used them extensively, hence the skewed results), while Monster.com took 12 percent, Craigslist 2.8 percent and The Ladders .8 percent. A host of other sites accounted for 27 percent of external hires.

Read the full article here.

Older Workers Dis Retirement

The economy, health care and Social Security are all factors at play in older workers’ decisions to keep working. However, it’s not all about money and health. Older workers are also concerned about malaise and usefulness while some simply love their workplace environment.

Workers 60 and over have overwhelmingly put retirement on the back burner, says a new study from CareerBuilder. Concerns and fear from a year ago are still on the minds of those near typical retirement age.

Wall Street investment and the stock market grew in the last year, but that does not mean older workers have recovered all their losses. In March 2009, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was hovering at volume levels around 6,500. In March of 2010, the DJIA is more than 10,000. When 72 percent of 792 workers ages 60 and over say they plan to keep working because they cannot afford to retire, you know the economy is still in play.

“The economy continues to cast doubt in the minds of mature workers regarding executing on their future retirement plans,” said Jason Ferrara, of CareerBuilder, in a statement.” As a result, they are requesting to stay with employers a bit longer.”

Other concerns for older workers include the need for health care and other benefits, the fear of being bored and the comfort of feeling needed in a job. Another major reason stated for postponing retirement was the enjoyment of the workplace and not wanting to give it up. From the CareerBuilder survey:

“Twenty-seven percent of hiring managers say they were approached about postponing retirements last year and were open to retaining mature workers,” said Ferrara. “The key is to let your employer know sooner than later that you would like to put off your plans to leave.”

Even though the market has rebounded and somewhat stabilized, the attitudes and fears of older workers seem to be on par with how they felt a year ago, according to a  2009 study from Scottrade on American retirement trends that polled 1,000 adults.

“Boomers showed the most pronounced increase in their level of worry about the future – more than two-thirds (67 percent) describe themselves as being concerned about having enough money for retirement,” said the study. “This marks a 16 percent increase from 2008 and reflects the fact that Boomers have been hard hit by the economic downturn and have the least amount of time to recover. This generation’s concern is so deep, in fact, that this year [2009] saw a remarkable 38 percent increase in the number of Boomers who think they will never be able to fully retire.”

One of the major issues not mentioned in the CareerBuilder survey are concerns over the future of Social Security. Seventy-seven percent of respondents were worried about the future of Social Security in the United States, according to the Scottrade report.

What did those in their 20s–commonly referred to as “Generation Y” or “Gen Y”–think about retirement investment in 2009?

“Interestingly, Gen Y does not share the concerns of older generations,” said the report. “Despite the economic climate, members of Gen Y remain optimistic about their retirement and are something of an anomaly among American adults… Despite these indicators, the actual amount that Gen Y has saved has declined. Many Gen Yers report not thinking about retirement at all and few have a significant amount of money saved for it.”


Read the rest of this entry »

Useful Web Sites For TNG Job Seekers

The Triangle Networking Group provides helpful information for job seekers.

Click here to visit the website.

Intelligence Slideshow:

Click here to view the slideshow “How to Write a Bad Resume.”

The most recent IT Skills and Certification Pay Index compiled by the employment gurus at Foote Partners showed that even though values of IT certifications declined in 2009, the last three months data indicate that the freefall could finally be over.

Click here to read the story.