Member Article

Job seekers take to social networks

Over 1 million job seekers in Britain now use social networks as part of their job search.

Data from a survey by job search engine Adzuna.co.uk found the average British adult is connected to 300 relevant, open job vacancies through their first and second degree connections on social networks.

Retail, design and IT professionals are the most likely to be using social networks as 33% of people surveyed in these industries claimed to have used social networks to land their dream job.

Domestic, maintenance and legal job seekers were the least likely to use social networks, as less than 5% of people working in these industries chose to use such sites.

Some regional differences were apparent, as 16.5% of londoners surveyed had found work through social networks, while only 2.5% of their North Eastern counterparts had done so.

Adzuna Co-Founder Andrew Hunter commented: “It’s clear that the way in which people look for work has changed dramatically in the last 2-3 years and it’s hugely exciting to witness how social media has quickly become an integral part of the job hunting process.

“The rate at which British job hunters have been registering for our social job hunting tool ‘Adzuna Connect’ has been staggering in the last 6 months, suggesting that 2013 looks set to be the year where job seekers fully embrace social networks to find their dream job.”

Adzuna’s research shows many non-tech, larger corporates are now using social media in their recruitment methods, pointing towards firms such as AstraZeneca, Saatchi and Saatchi and Hilton, who have all launched Facebook groups for potential candidates.

The research was based on a sample of 1000 UK adults, surveyed in the final quarter of 2012.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .