Networking is #1 Recruiting Method for CIOs

Although online job boards can be cost-effective, CIOs vastly prefer the low-tech method of relying on employee referrals to recruit IT professionals, according to a recent poll conducted by IT staffing firm RHI Consulting, in Menlo Park, Calif.

Thirty-one percent of the 1,400 CIOs surveyed rated word-of-mouth referrals as the most effective means of finding talent. Nineteen percent preferred using IT staffing or recruiting firms, and 17 percent said that classified print ads are the best way to fill jobs. Only 9 percent of CIOs surveyed reported that online job boards are a significant source of IT talent.

“Although it may seem surprising that IT executives are not relying more heavily on technology to recruit candidates, there is no substitute for peer-to-peer networking,” said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of RHI Consulting, in a release. “Referrals offer hiring managers access to qualified professionals they might otherwise not have reached. There is also an implied recommendation from the person providing the referral.”

The remaining preferred methods for sourcing IT workers included participating in job fairs (a favorite strategy for 7 percent of CIOs surveyed), posting open positions on the companys Web site (7 percent). The remaining CIOs listed “other” and “dont know/no answer” in response to the survey question.

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