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Looking for a Job? Canadians Say They're Online According to Kelly Services' Global Workforce Index
| Source: Kelly Services, Inc.
TORONTO--(Marketwire - January 30, 2008) - Whether you're looking for top talent or your next
career opportunity, in the increasingly competitive Canadian job market,
online is the place to be. The latest results of the Kelly Global Workforce
Index (NASDAQ : KELYA ) (NASDAQ : KELYB ) show that Canadian job seekers look
to the Internet with one in three finding their most recent position
online. Better yet, job seekers are enjoying the online job search
experience more than any other method.
The Kelly Global Workforce Index sought the views of more than 115,000
people in 33 countries, including more than 11,000 in Canada, on a wide
range of matters about finding work and various aspects of the recruitment
process.
While 32 percent of survey respondents found their most recent job online,
21 percent found work via 'word of mouth,' 14 percent as a result of a
direct approach to an employer, 13 percent through a direct call from an
employer or recruiter, 13 percent through 'other' methods, and 8 percent
from a newspaper advertisement.
Online recruitment is considered by candidates to be a better way to find a
job, with 71 percent pleased with the outcome compared with 57 percent of
respondents satisfied with traditional written and posted applications.
"With the popularity of online job boards, social networking sites, and
technology-driven recruiting systems increasing exponentially, people are
now very confident about applying for jobs online while employers are
becoming much more skilled at managing online recruitment," said Karin
French, vice president and managing director, Kelly Services Canada.
French continued, "Although online recruitment eclipsed all other forms of
hiring including 'word of mouth,' direct approach, and newspaper
advertising, candidates should use multiple search methods as competition
increases in the job market."
The survey also found that approximately one quarter of Canadians have
concerns about how they perform during face-to-face job interviews and
doubts as to whether their CV presents them to potential employers in the
best possible way.
While 78 percent of respondents said they performed well during
face-to-face job interviews, 10 percent said they did not and 13 percent
were unsure.
Some 29 percent of candidates also doubt the quality of their CV with 12
percent certain that it did not present them in the best possible way and
17 percent unsure.
Survey results also show that even though the task of applying for a job
and facing an interview can be daunting, it's not the worst part of the
recruitment process, according to candidates.
The worst aspect of the recruitment process, reported by 60 percent of
respondents, was waiting for a response, followed by searching for a job
(18 percent), attending an interview (10 percent), filling an application
(7 percent), and preparing a CV (4 percent).
The factors that best determine a person's job suitability were also
canvassed in the survey. When asked what single attribute people
considered to be the best indicator of job suitability, the main factor was
work experience, cited by 42 percent, followed by attitude and personality
(37 percent). Other factors such as interview performance, level of
education, reference checks and psychological test results all rated low.
Despite the uncertainties on the part of some candidates about their
capacity to perform well in the recruitment process, most feel they receive
fair consideration from employers. When asked if they felt employers
treated them fairly in the interview process, 81 percent said they did, 17
percent said sometimes and only 2 percent said never.
About Kelly Services
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ : KELYA ) (NASDAQ : KELYB ) is a world leader in
human resources solutions headquartered in Troy, Michigan, offering
temporary staffing services, outsourcing, vendor on-site and full-time
placement. Kelly operates in 37 countries and territories. Kelly provides
employment to more than 750,000 employees annually, with skills including
office services, accounting, engineering, information technology, law,
science, marketing, creative services, light industrial, education, and
health care. Revenue in 2007 was $5.7 billion. Visit
www.kellyservices.com.