How Job Seekers Spend Their Time

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if the premise is only the 'connected' can get jobs which is preached by job coaches DOL and ex HR people 18 minutes is too much time to spend looking at all or get that degree or certificate or MBA.

But if you must 'hitting the payment' now is going to 4 or 5 networking meetings a week and keep plugging away and volunteer for something.

Tom Anello of NJ 3:21PM January 16, 2010

If it's true that people spend about 18 minutes each day job hunting, that leads to this conclusion: that they check their search agents from the "traditional" boards (eg Monster, CB, etc.), apply to a few jobs, and consider their work done for the day.

As you noted on WWDS, it is ignorance of so many other options and approaches to job hunting that limits their time at this activity.

I agree that LinkUp is a great resource (in fact, I have a link for it on my website: http://undergroundjobnetwork.com). That said, I take it one step further -- I tell readers to find out who's hiring, then find out how to contact a decision maker.

That makes all the difference in both how long and how well one conducts a job search.

Lorraine of FL 11:38AM January 13, 2010

So I was pointed to this data which conveniently leaves out the methodology and other information that is so important when reading/using/extrapolating. The link provided was http://www.bls.gov/tus/tables/a2_2008.pdf. And I'm assuming that this is the data that is serving as the reference point for this article and comments. Assumptions being a deadly thing in life, I march onwards ...

If the sample size includes the employed and the unemployed, one can only conclude that that group spends the 0.07 hour (4.2 minutes) daily on seeking employment. The inclusion of the employed skews the data for the unemployed. And I'm assuming that the sample size is statistically significant etc ...

I'm glad that this group is not building nuclear reactors, airplanes etc using these skills (sarcasm intended).

Anyway, I don't have any more time to spend refuting incorrect usage of data or to read the entire study. My statement of "figures don't lie but liar figure" remains my mantra for this stream of data/dialogue.

For the real, unemployed job seekers whom I believe spend in excess of 30 hours weekly in a hostile environment - keep moving forward and hit the delete key on negative thoughts. I meet them in the product development and sales space.

Anyway, back to killing a large quota

davide of OR 8:50PM January 07, 2010

According to the 2008 ATUS data (http://www.bls.gov/tus/tables/a2_2008.pdf), people who *actually spent time* searching for jobs spent 2.69 hours a day, weekdays, in this activity. If you were to take the entire population, job seekers, the fully employed, the retired, those in school, etc., then the number is more like 3 minutes (0.05 hours) per day. I would think that the gainfully employed wouldn't spend much of their workday seeking their new job, nor would the retired. And this is 2008 data, when there were many more jobs available. 2009 data should vary considerably. Also, the amount of time spent searching for a job by someone unemployed probably varies by amount of time unemployed and whether there is another source of income in the household.

There, a posting that actually points to a reference site.

Dave of CA 4:52PM January 06, 2010

For all you 18 minute doubters out there, US News and World Report editors CONFIRMED the data with the Labor Department. It is based on the American Time Use Survey from 2004 to 2008.

Thanks to all the readers who are so watchful and correct. I appreciate the fact checking. GLH

GL Hoffman of MN 11:51AM January 05, 2010

Eighteen minutes a day? It is more like 3 to 5 hours everyday. Reviewing the various job websites, studying the business section for current market trends, evaluating local colleges for continuing education and personal development courses. I really think this author wanted to revoke a response for another article.

KBatenchuk of OH 12:27PM January 04, 2010

On an average I spend approximately five (5) hours per day and sometimes seven (7) hours per day looking for work, and that includes weekends! Where are your facts & figures coming from? I sure as heck can't find them at the Department of Labor or even Harper's, like Barry Scott indicated. With all the on-line Professional Networking Groups I belong to even just on LinkedIn (checking each one for new jobs daily), not to mention on-line local networking groups, local networking meetings I attend, email Job Alerts from Indeed.com and all the other "specialized" sites Indeed.com sometimes doesn't publish, such as DIA, RAPS, etc., not to mention ALL the hours spent writing and re-writing resumés & cover letters to customize each application, researching companies prior to phone or face-to-face interviews, follow-up letters, and weaving through the mesh of rejection emails (if you receive any response at all from companies you've applied to), I am literally going crazy! So PLEASE, DO NOT start preaching that the average job hunter only spends 18 minutes a day job hunting - I strongly suggest you do "your" homework and provide the source of your so-called "18 average minutes" before you publish such an article and insult the "real" job hunters!

Ann of CA of CA 6:12PM January 03, 2010

GL

Perhaps you could provide the link(s) to the data.

Being an engineer *and* an entrepreneur, I like data and facts. Neither were provided here.

Based upon my own personal observations in Portland OR and San Jose CA, and the job search group that I co-manage, I find your article to be incorrect especially when it comes to available jobs. The companies downsizing are simply requiring remaining employees to do more or to stop doing certain work.

An incorrect conclusion about the "truth" and an amateurish attempt to link disjoint facts such as "...There are jobs available in every company. They might not be advertised (70 percent of the jobs on Linkup.com are never advertised elsewhere) and may not even be an opening, per se. But every company has a job or task that needs doing..."

Where is your proof about jobs existing at every company? The inference is that there are unfilled positions. No proof and the probability of this being true tends to zero. An example of why this is not possible. In Portland Oregon, over 50% of businesses are sole proprietorships / single employee. As one sells to these companies, it becomes very clear that the vast majority don't intend to hire another employee and rarely use consultants (because they believe that consultants don't provide value).

I suggest that your agenda is to promote your company.

Your article demonstrates poor journalism at best. I sure hope that your run your business better. I certainly wouldn't hire or recommend you though.

davide of OR 5:16PM January 03, 2010

I few weeks back I completed an on-line application directly through the company's website. It took nearly 20 minutes to complete, even though many fields pre-filled from the uploaded resume. This was only ONE of the applications made that day.

Additionally, I sent the email at about 9:00 am. By 10:30 am I received an email confirming receipt of my application. At 11:40 am I received the rejection email. Are there any "humans" in Human Resources?

RoMe of NY 9:46AM January 01, 2010

I'm unable to find this statistic anywhere in Harper's Index or the Department of Labor. I would suggest that Mr G L Hoffman & Mr Toby Dayton (Diggings Blog) check their facts before publishing. If it is a fact, then provide the URL to the actual Harper's Index article and the DOL statistic / report.

Barry Scott of IL 12:51PM December 31, 2009

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