One third of jobs sourced via personal contacts

A quick straw poll of a group of friends revealed some very interesting data. Asking them individually how they got their jobs a very noticeable and initially surprising trend emerged. The majority of them initially heard about the job through a contact! In this instance contact can be anyone from a good friend through to a supplier, but it does seem to be that contacts come up trumps!

Intrigued by this conversation I started to do some research to investigate whether this was just a local phenomenon or is this something much broader. The research validated the conversation. Approximately 35% of individuals source their jobs through contacts and networking. Other main sources include recruitment advertising 20%, recruitment agencies 20% and speculative applications 25%.

So, you are looking for a new job, how do you best use your personal contacts? (This is not about using your contacts to get in the backdoor of a company, most companies rightly disallow canvassing for candidates)

Maintaining relationships with former classmates, work colleagues and managers is an important part of any job search. If you have not been in touch with them for a while then pick up the phone and ask them for some advice on your career. Human nature being as it is people love talking about their jobs and most people are comfortable giving advice in this area.

The key to networking is never to ask directly for a job - you are immediately putting people in a position where more often than not, they won't be able to help you out. They will, however, have an opinion or some advice that they will be comfortable discussing with you.

If they subsequently hear of a vacancy that suits your skills they may very well think of you and contact you at this point. If you were in their position it makes total sense. Why go through what can be, at times, quite an intensive and time consuming recruitment process, when you know someone who can do the job exactly as you would like and perform to the standards that you are looking for? Hiring some one that you know and trust obviously makes for a reliable employee. Managers and colleagues are not going to jeopardise their own positions by recommending someone that they do not trust or think capable of doing the job.

However, it would be unwise not to evaluate and utilise all the recruitment means available. There are specialist recruitment days in most of the newspapers and, whilst they may not have a specific job vacancy that meets your requirements, they will show you who is advertising in your locality. Also, they will have features on organisations that are expanding, launching new products etc. These organisations may not be looking for your skill set right now but they may have vacancies in the future.

Based on this information you should send a 'speculative CV' to the organisation. Organisations do hold on to CVs sent 'on spec', and this is usually the first port of call to source applicants when a vacancy arises.

Recruitment agencies are another valuable resource in the job search. Some will be specialists in certain professions or industries. The key to working well with a recruitment agency is to build up a good relationship with a consultant. Before you send your CV try to make an appointment, never send a CV in without having spoken to someone who understands your profession. Agencies receive many calls and CVs every day from candidates.You need to make sure that you differentiate yourself from other candidates.

Most recruitment agencies have their own web sites and this is another valuable research commodity. There are also a number of dedicated employment websites that are worth registering with. Most sites have a facility where you can set up an 'alert' - a facility where by you are emailed an alert should a job be advertised that meets your requirements. Using all the facilities available on such sites will free up a lot of your time.

Professional bodies and their publications are another vital source of information. Not only do they provide excellent networking opportunities but several also have vacancy listings within. Many say that looking for a job is almost a full time job in itself. It certainly is a time consuming event that needs careful planning like any other project. However, determination, resilience, research and networking will ensure that you find that ideal job.