Seattle, WA (PRWEB) December 05, 2016
An overwhelming majority (90 percent) of Seattle tech workers attended a networking event in the last six months, according to a study conducted by online community and networking group New Tech Northwest in September 2016. The study found that 77 percent find new employers and jobs at networking events and 70 percent said it is easier to make a new connection at a networking event than on LinkedIn. For the more than half (55 percent) that said they are planning to look for different employment in the next year, making these valuable, new connections could not be more important.
“Finding your dream job in Seattle’s large and evolving tech landscape can be difficult,” said Brett Greene, founder of New Tech Northwest. “Networking removes many of the barriers associated with looking for and applying to jobs online or connecting with a recruiter. If you can shake someone’s hand and get to know them face-to-face you stand a better chance of making a meaningful connection. The New Tech community just surpassed 26,000 members by providing these vital opportunities in four different tech hubs every month.”
The digital age is in full swing, yet workers still prefer live networking. More than 70 percent felt that networking is as important as maintaining a LinkedIn profile. Nearly 70 percent agree that networking helps grow their skill set or potential, and a larger group (75 percent) made an important connection (employer, peer, mentor, other) while networking.
Tech workers also feel fortunate to be in the region; 80 percent value the diversity of employers or job opportunities in the Northwest. In fact, Seattle was recently ranked among the top three cities in the nation for jobs by Bloomberg.
“We want everyone to walk away from one of our networking events with two or more new contacts, so we make time at the start of every event to do that,” added Greene. “That person could turn into an acquaintance, job referrer or friend. The important part is that you’ve put yourself out there.”
New Tech Northwest offers monthly events in Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma. Past presenters have included Amazon, Moz and Zulily. To find out more about an event near you, visit https://www.newtechnorthwest.com
The survey was conducted online from September 13-30, 2016 among New Tech Northwest’s community of technology workers, recruiters and employers. In total the survey garnered 360 responses. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For the complete survey, please contact Lindsay Stril at lstril(at)voxuspr(dot)com
About New Tech Northwest
New Tech Northwest is a Pacific Northwest-based online community and networking group for area startups and technology workers. It is Seattle’s largest ongoing monthly event. Founded with the mission of ‘giving first,’ the group helps its members make connections to the right resources that take its members further, faster. Founded four years ago, the group has grown to more than 26,000 members with an additional 500 new members joining each month. New Tech Northwest hosts monthly events in downtown Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma and Portland. The group also coordinates a monthly search and rescue for the downtown Seattle homeless in partnership with Union Gospel Mission. Learn more at http://www.newtechnorthwest.com