More Job Seekers Turning To The Internet

The report found that workers who looked for a job between January and September 2007, 73 percent said they had used the Internet compared to 66 percent of job seekers in the same time period in 2005.

"The Internet has become the most popular method of job searching," said Gad Levanon, Economist at The Conference Board. "Newspapers are still popular as a major job search method, but job seekers reported using them less, dropping from 75 percent to 65 percent between 2005 and 2007."

The majority of job seekers use more than one method in looking for a job. Online and print ads are still the most widely used method for searching for job openings. Fifty-one percent of job seekers said they networked through friends and co-workers as part of their job search. Twenty-four percent said they used other methods, such as employment agencies.

The report also found that the Internet is being used for a number of job search functions, 59 percent use it for finding employer/job information, 57 percent use the Internet for submitting resumes and applications and 40 percent use it to post resumes on a Web site.

In September 2007, there were 4,270,000 online advertised job vacancies according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted Online Data Series.

"Because social media and online job searching components are now part of the norm, candidates need to know how to benefit from the use of these tools in order to be successful in their search," says Bernadette Kenny, Chief Career Officer at Adecco.

"A job seeker’s personal posts on social media outlets, as well as their overall ‘persona’ on the Internet can harm their hunt for the perfect job – or they can turn it around and use these same tools to help them land a great position."

Some employers are searching the Web and performing background checks by using Google to search an individual’s name. An Adecco Workplace survey found that 66 percent of Generation Y respondents were not aware that private photos, comments and statements were examined by potential employers. More than half of the respondents do not feel that it is fair for the information they have online to be a factor in the hiring process.