Job Search Statistics

This week I learned an astonishing fact about the amount of time NJ job seekers spend on their personal job search activities. As a whole, people in NJ spend 70 minutes a day looking for work. I’m sure that 70 minutes is time spent doing what may feel like productive activities such as applying for positions on line or applying directly to a company website. I’m also thinking that once this is done, the person feels a sense of accomplishment. But really, 70 minutes? What happens during the rest of the day? The study goes on to say that job seekers spend a larger amount of time eating and watching television. What can a job seeker, especially a long-term job seeker do to be more productive?

I read an article in Women’s World magazine recently that stated that while hiring managers are more understanding of employment gaps, they would prefer to see the job seeker fill the gap with other activities including:

Temporary Jobs (79%)
Taking a class (61%)
Volunteering (60%)
Starting a Business (28%)

I know that it is comfortable to look for work using the internet. It’s not really as effective as networking though. According to the 10th Annual Sources of Hire (SOH) Study conducted by CareerXRoads:

Nearly 65% of all openings are filled through internal movement and referrals.
Job boards are not dead. Collectively, companies attribute 24.9% of external hires to job boards.
Social media’s impact is growing

So what do all of these statistics mean in to the daily 70 minutes that the average job seeker in NJ spends on his or her job search? I’m not a statistician but I’d say that getting out of the house volunteering, taking a temporary job and networking will up your odds of finding a job.