Word of mouth is the most effective way to find a job, new poll finds

A new study reveals that word of mouth is the most popular way individuals found their last job.

The poll, conducted by search firm TopGrading Solutions found that 38% of employees found their last job through word-of-mouth or referrals, 20% found their jobs online and 24% via recruiting firms. 7% found their last position by walking in and applying, and 2% found their job through a newspaper or print advertisement. TopGrading Solutions is part of MRINetwork, which recruits for retail and other industries,

TopGrading Solutions surveyed unemployed and employed adults over four months for the poll.

Chris L. Lutes, who specializes in recruiting for the Retail and Hospitality Technology Industry for TopGrading, says he is seeing many of his clients take advantage of the down economy to attract top-notch employees. “Forward-looking companies are positioning themselves to increase market share while their competitors are in a defensive or protective mode,” he says. “The time is ripe for companies to hire on those high-profile impact player-type candidates who might not otherwise be available to them.”