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Subject:The odds of finding work through job ads From:Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sat, 15 Mar 2003 17:49:36 -0800
A few days ago at a local trade fair, I found myself holding forth on
job hunting techniques to some grad students who will be entering the
job market in the next months (these things happen to me; don't ask why
- probably a big mouth and a bigger ego). I repeated the idea that
looking through ads wasn't the best way to find work. My rationale was
that, no matter how good your qualifications were, whenever you apply to
an ad, you have lots of competition and can get lost in it.
Somebody asked if I had any statistics. The only ones I had at hand were
my own. I've had 28 clients and employers in the last eight years
(mostly clients). Out of those, only three came through answering an ad
- less than 11%.
That sounds like fairly good proof to me, but I'm only one person. So, I
wonder: what are other people's stats for finding work through ads? I"m
especially interested in hearing from people who have been in the
business a long time, and/or have done extensive contracting; obviously,
someone who has only held one job - however it was found - don't have a
good sampling.
"Some say the Devil's just an angel in the dark,
Some say the Devil's just a good man feeling bad,
Some say the Devil's just the lads out for a lark,
Some say the Devil plays the only music glad and good."
-Jez Lowe, "Tear-Drop Two-Step"
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