How 17 Real People Got Their Jobs

How 17 Real People Got Their JobsHow 17 Real People Got Their JobsHow 17 Real People Got Their JobsLast fall, I read a post at Secrets of the Job Hunt, discussing best and worst ways to find a job. Citing original research conducted by Weddles, they provided a list of the most- and least-helpful sources for getting hired. The six categories in the original study were, in order of helpfulnesszugnglich job boardsHeadhunter or staffing firmTip from a friendNetworking at work or at a business eventCareer fairsNewspaper ads.My So-Called Reality PollMy experience didnt really fit with the results, so I decided to conduct a reality poll of friends and acquaintances to see if they agreed with the list. I got responses from 17 real people (one of whom welches me).I asked them how they got their jobs, and to choose one of the six categories above, or to indicate Other if they didnt fit neatly into any of the six categories. Here, for what theyre worth, are the completely unscientific, statisti cally insignificant results of my study.The winner by a landslide was Other, with 41% of the vote. The runners-up were Tip from Friend (29%) Online Job Board (18%) Networking at Work (12%) and Staffing Firm (1%).Much more interesting were the explanations that accompanied the Other responsesI bought the company I worked for.I started a new company with my former coworkers.I got my job through the birth canal I work for my parents.My parents bought the company.It was my sister-in-laws job and she opened a restaurant, so I took it over.My old employer asked me back with an offer I couldnt refuse.My grad school hired me after I graduated.I might argue that some of those fall into the Tip from a Friend category (if you broadly define friend as a person I know in some capacity).As for the people who did select one of the six categories from the Weddles research, heres a sampling of their responsesMy old bosss wife works for my current boss, so she put in a good word. (Tip from a Friend)A guy I had a business relationship with recruited me over to my new company. (Networking at Work)I answered an ad online. (one used CraigsList.org, one used CareerBuilder.com, and one used Indeed.com (Online Job Board)A college recruiter recruited me. (Headhunter)Seems to me it all just goes back to the universal truth. Its who you know.How about you? What job-hunting methods have been successful in your experience?