AfterCollege Offers Effective Search Methods for Entry-Level Job Seekers

AfterCollege has released the findings of its 2009 Student and Alumni Snapshot survey. The survey, completed by 670 college students, graduate students and alumni during a four-week period, reveals that nearly 80% of respondents are having difficulty finding work and shows how they are coping with the challenge. At the same time, the survey reveals resources identified by job seekers to be the most effective.

Only 4.4% of respondents reported having an easy time finding a job. When asked which methods these job seekers found most effective, the following were some of the top-mentioned methods:

Talking to current employees, friends and family
Seventy-six percent of these individuals said that talking to current employees at companies of interest was the most effective job search method. Talking to friends and family was selected by 60% of these individuals. Many companies have employee referral programs, and employees are often incented to recommend friends for vacant jobs. Tapping friends is therefore a recommended approach.

Talking to professors, teachers and other educators
At the same time, 64% of these individuals stated that talking to faculty and educators was effective in finding a job. Faculty can be good guides because they typically have in-depth knowledge and industry contacts in a specific field. While they are not career counselors, they have relevant experience and can serve as good resources to tap.

Applying directly on a company or organizationís web site
This ranked as the second most effective method of finding a job by those who had an easy time, with 72% of respondents selecting this option. Job seekers who have specific companies in mind can usually find an application form on the employer's web site.

Searching online job sites
This ranked as the third most effective option, as selected by 68% of those who found it easy to find work. There are thousands of job boards out there, and while AfterCollege did not distinguish between niche and broad job boards, we encourage job seekers to identify the niche sites that match their interests.

The survey also asked students and alumni about their use of social networks. Over 82% of respondents use them. However, these sites ranked as the least effective options for finding a job, with only 11% of respondents selecting this option and only 4% of those who found it easy to find work selecting it as an effective channel.

Out of the respondents who are finding it difficult to find a job, 45% mentioned they are looking harder for work, while 36% are looking at jobs they would normally not consider. The majority of those considering alternative job opportunities had nursing, engineering and business backgrounds. Nearly 10% of respondents, who also reported having grade point averages of 3.6 or above, are considering staying in school or going back to school.

AfterCollege will be conducting more research to measure the effectiveness of different job search methods as the economy starts improving. Our goal was to take the pulse of our users, to determine what they were going through in this economy, and to identify what they were finding useful in their job search, said Roberto Angulo, CEO of AfterCollege. We have incorporated some of the findings into our own service already and we hope our survey results will help job seekers in their quest for the right jobs and employers in their search for the right candidates.

Job seekers can also find advice on how to make the best use of the AfterCollege service to find a job by going to:
http://www.aftercollege.com/content/blog/make_the_most_of_aftercollege_t...