By Debra Feldman | JobWhiz

To overcome their innate resistance to external candidates, nowadays employers are especially keen on employee referrals. According to CareerXroads, a recruiting consultancy, these are becoming a proportionately bigger source of hires. Historically, between 70% and 80% of new hires are based on a personal connection or a networking referral. This means that job seekers across all industries and functional disciplines should allocate their time and resources to promote existing connections and establish new relationships. This includes relationships with current and former employees not just where they have worked, but where they want to work. Such inside relationships are proving to be a competitive advantage in today’s environment.

This recommended proactive networking strategy puts prospective candidates in touch with appropriate inside leads before positions are advertised to outsiders. This offers a distinct advantage in the modern world of mass resume submissions and voluminous applications for each available opening.

Personal connections are clearly good to have for a variety of reasons. Active contacts enable candidates to monitor the recruiting process more closely through internal channels. Having an association with a current employee increases the level of shared trust and mutual commitment to hiring managers. Often hiring managers are seeking a new employee with a genuine interest for joining the team and meeting the company’s needs, beyond the attached salary and relevant perks.

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