Americans Increasingly Turn to the Internet in Search of Employment

New Survey Shows Half Have an Online Resume, a Resume Posted Online or Have a Professional Profile on a Job or Career Website

Reston, VA. (PRWEB) May 26, 2009

Americans are increasingly turning to the Web instead of the newspaper when it comes to seeking employment opportunities. A study of more than 500 Americans, conducted by Sway, Inc. and commissioned by VisualCV, found that 50% of all respondents currently have an online resume, have a resume posted online or have a professional profile on a job or career website. While 68% said the reason they post an online resume or create a professional profile was to find a job, more than a third do so in order to network.

In addition to searching the web for job information, career seekers also look for expert advice. For those individuals who connect with other professionals online, the top reasons are to learn skills or get educated on skills that would help them as a professional and to research other professionals' knowledge and experiences. Word of mouth referrals and career boards are the most popular sources for learning about a job but they certainly aren't the only ones. According to the study, Americans are most likely to leverage the following sources when seeking information on job opportunities:

Sources for Obtaining Information    % of Americans Agreeing
General Job Board    58%
Friend or Colleague (i.e. Word of Mouth)     52%
Company Web Site    47%
Newspaper Classifieds/Print Ad    41%
Google/Internet Searches    35%
Craig's List     27%
Staffing Agency     22%
Career Fair     20%

With one in four stating they are currently looking for a job, Americans are in need of tools that will give them a competitive advantage and help them stand out from the competition. While the look of the resume is clearly important when selecting an online resume tool or establishing a professional profile, individuals also want a solution that is easy to update and whose privacy can be controlled:

Sought After Features of An Online Resume Tool or Business Profile Website    % of Americans Agreeing
The appearance of the resume on the screen    75%
The link to your resume is automatically updated when you make changes    73%
Control of the privacy of your online resume/business profile (i.e., share one-to-one via e-mail, make public to anybody, etc.)    70%
Being able to track views to resume (i.e. the number of views and where they came from    70%
Ability to stand out more than with a traditional resume    68%
Portability: the ability to access it/use it anywhere online    67%
Ability to search for jobs on the same site your online resume/profile is hosted    64%

"Individuals are becoming increasingly concerned with how they present themselves to potential employers and are looking for creative ways to show their skills in order to stand out," said Jeffrey Hunter, CEO of VisualCV, Inc. "VisualCV has changed the way professionals create their resume by improving how resume data is presented, accessed, and shared. With our solution, candidates can show hiring managers their accomplishments as opposed to simply telling them, update their resume or create numerous versions to appeal to specific audiences and have full privacy control so only they can deem who gets to see their resume and where it will appear."
Sway conducted the online survey in mid March 2009 using an online panel from MarketTools. The data has a tolerance of +/- 4.4%.

About VisualCV, Inc.
VisualCV, Inc. has reinvented the resume to make it more relevant for job searching, networking, business development and career progression within today's Web 2.0 environment. VisualCV, Inc. provides technology and support for the VisualCV, the VisualCV.com community and "Powered by VisualCV" private-label platform. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, the company has received investments from one of the world's leading executive search firms, Heidrick & Struggles (NASDAQ: HSII), and Valhalla Partners. For more information or to create a VisualCV, please visit http://www.visualcv.com.

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