For the second year in a row, job boards snagged the top spot as the most efficient job search method for college students and recent grads, according to AfterCollege’s 2010 Student and Alumni survey.
The results come at a time when social media and other Web 2.0 recruiting channels have ushered in a new era of media-savvy recruiters and sourcers who shirk from job boards, claiming the sites are outdated and costly.
But year after year the data reflects that traditional methods of job searching, including exploring job boards for opportunities, applying directly on a company career site, and employee referrals continue to eclipse these avant-garde networks.
In the AfterCollege survey, which ran during the month of May and garnered 560 responses from alumni, students of all levels, and recent graduates, nearly 66% of respondents selected online job boards as the most effective job search method. Applying directly to the company ranked a close second at 63%, while employee referrals came in third with 58% of the votes.
Social media captured about 16% of the popular vote, edging up slightly from 2009, when 11% said it was an effective channel. Blogs ranked last with only 7% of votes.
While we’ve seen the job market improve inch by inch these last few months, recent graduates looking for a job are faring worse than last year. In this year’s survey, 1.4% of respondents said they were having an easy time finding a job, compared to 4% from last year. In all, nearly 85% of respondents claimed to be having a difficult time finding a job, up 41% from last year.
Not surprisingly, when it comes to social networks, Facebook is king. The vast majority of respondents said they use the site occasionally or frequently. Myspace users are few and far between, while Twitter’s popularity has risen only slightly from 2009.
View the entire survey report and AfterCollege’s 2010 college recruiting recommendations.
