Warning: don't skip informational interviews like I did for 2 years

I spent two years applying to jobs online and getting nowhere. A friend in HR told me to start doing 15 minute phone calls with people in roles I wanted. After 6 calls, one contact told me about an opening that wasn't posted yet. I got hired through that lead within 3 weeks. Has anyone else had luck getting jobs through informal chats instead of applications?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverreed25d ago

Read somewhere that 70 to 80 percent of jobs come through networking, not applications. Those informal chats are basically backdoor access to hidden opportunities.

adam_thompson5325d ago

That 70-80% stat is a bit off though. The actual number people usually cite from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is more like 40-50% of jobs coming from personal connections. So networking definitely matters but it's not quite the secret door some make it out to be. Still worth doing but application numbers aren't totally useless either.