1. 2012 Source of Employment Report Job Seekers & Employers Speak Out
WEDDLE’s
2012 Source of Employment Report Job Seekers & Employers Speak Out
Now I want to acknowledge right up front that some of you won’t like what I have to say. It flies in the face of the conventional wisdom of those who say all you need to do is write a better resume or make more connections on LinkedIn or develop a stronger interviewing skills to get a great job. If it were that easy, you wouldn’t be here today. So, I think you deserve to know the truth. To survive let alone prosper in today’s job market, you must look at yourself in a new way and you must become expert in a kit bag of new practices. Collectively, I call them Career Activism.
Peter Weddle WEDDLE’s LLC

2. WEDDLE’s Source of Employment Survey
Origin
To support columns in The Wall Street Journal
Alternative to one-off and one-sided surveys
Annual since 1999
Focus on behaviors and preferences
Job seekers and recruiters
All-year polling station on
Traffic generated by books/columns and User’s Choice Award balloting

3. What’s Going On? Buzz in the press that job postings are dead
Social Media now the darling of the press

4. Employers/Recruiters
2011 Survey Respondents
Job Seekers
Employers/Recruiters
Gender
59.6% male
40.4% Female
Age
Median 45
25.1% 56+
Gender
54.5 Male
45.5% female
Age
Median 45
59.8% were mum

5. 2011 Survey Job Seeker Respondents
Employment Status
43.1% Unemployed and actively looking
29.9% Employed but actively looking
15.7% Employed and considering moving
7.4% Reentering job market after extended absence
3.9% Employed and never leaving
Experience(1)
29.1% Mid-level professional
14.6% Managerial
13.5% Senior-level professional
12.6% Executive
9.8 Entry-level professional
6.4% Skilled trade
(1) Does not total to 100% because not all answer options are shown

6. Job Seekers Find Employment
How did you find your last job?
31.4% responded to ad or archived resume on job board
11.3% Tip from a friend
9.2% Referral by employee of company
7.0% Newspaper ad
6.5% Sent resume into company
How do you expect to find your next job?(1)
53.7% responding to ad or archiving resume on job board
8.9% Sending resume into company
5.9% Call from a headhunter
4.4% Referral by employee of company
3.7% Networking at biz event / ad on employer’s Web-site
(1) Not all answer options are shown

7. Which Job Boards Are Most Helpful?
37.6% Niche sites(1)
22.9% Search engines
21.2% General purpose sites
The population
150,000 sites
International Association of Employment Web Sites (IAEWS)
WEDDLE’s User’s Choice Awards
(1) Not all answer options are shown

8. Social Media Sites Have you used a social media site?
33.1% Yes, but just a little
25.7% No, but I intend to in the near future
22.1% Yes, quite a bit
19.1% No, and I never will
If yes, how helpful has it been?
35.3% No more helpful than other job search techniques
31.9% Somewhat helpful
15.6% Very helpful
17.2% Not at all helpful

9. Corporate Career Sites
How helpful are the career areas on employer Web-sites?
51.8% Moderately helpful
24.2% Very helpful
23.9% Not helpful
Not enough information about openings
Not enough information about culture/values
Not enough information about employees
Disrespectful

10. Nightmares
What’s the single worst thing to happen to you in your job search?(1)
46.9% You submitted a resume and heard nothing back from the employer
27.6% You received no information or feedback once you entered the process
14.7% You had no serious negative experiences
(1) Not all answer options are shown

11. Recruiters Find Talent
Which sourcing strategy yields the best candidates?(1)
43.0% Posting jobs on a commercial job board
17.4% Posting jobs on your own Web-site
8.1% Your employee referral program
5.2% Networking at business/professional events
5.2% Using social networking sites
(1) Not all answer options are shown

12. New Hires Sourced Online
Percentage of New Hires Sourced Online?
Median 51-75%
23.2% 76-90%
2.6% Zero
How Would You Rate Their Caliber?
35.1% Above average
26.6% Average employees
23.9% Among our best employees
1.1% A hiring mistake
13.3% No opinion

13. Online Job Postings Where were the majority of jobs posted online?(1)
28.7% Multiple job boards
22.7% Your own site and multiple job boards
13.5% your own site, one or more job boards and one or more social networking sites
Of the openings posted online, most were:(1)
40.3% Mid-level professional positions
18.8% Entry-level professional positions
10.2% Senior-level professional positions
9.8% Contract & part-time positions
(1) Not all answer options are shown

14. Diversity of Applicants
Of the openings posted online, how would you rate the diversity of applicants?(1)
32.4% Average
31.4% Above average
24.3% Excellent
2.2% Poor
(1) Not all answer options are shown

15. What’s Your Wish List?
Which additional services would you be willing to pay for at a job board?(1)
40.5% Better matching technology
14.6% Job ad distribution
13.3% Alternative job posting formats
10.8% Featured positioning of postings
7.6% Ability to accept video resumes
(1) Not all answer options are shown

16. 3 Take-Aways
Social media sites are important for brand building, but if you’re looking for a job, focus on job boards
No single job board provides enough access to openings to support an effective job search
Better matching technology will be the next big step forward at job boards

17. Available at Amazon.com, many bookstores and Weddles.com
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