Apparently Job Candidates Want Real Human Contact

About seven in 10 Americans (69%) believe that the job search today is too impersonal, according to the results of the latest American Staffing Association Workforce Monitor survey of more than 2,100 U.S. adults.
And 80% say that applying for a job feels like sending their resume or job application into a “black box.”
Nevertheless, Americans do consider less-personal resources to be valuable when looking for work. Eight in 10 (83%) believe that technology has made finding a job easier.
However, a majority says that emerging technologies (e.g., big data mining of resumes and job-on-demand apps) actually make it more difficult to land a position (59%), and that the internet is not “all I need” to find a job (59%).
In fact, even in this age of technology, 85% of U.S. adults think that personal contacts are more helpful than the internet in finding work.
Approximately seven in 10 U.S. adults cite in-person or face-to-face contact (72%), phone calls (72%), and email (71%) as acceptable ways to initially contact them regarding career opportunities.
Only about one in four (24%) say text messages would be welcome.
“When recruiting talent, ‘high touch’ still wins the day,” says Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer.
“Businesses that rely too heavily on a ‘high tech’ but largely ‘faceless’ process are sending the wrong messages to job seekers looking for connections with companies that value their employees.”

Research Method: The Harris Poll conducted the survey online within the U.S. on behalf of ASA Dec. 27–29, 2017, among a total of 2,163 U.S. adults age 18 and older. Results were weighted on age, education, race/ethnicity, household income, and geographic region where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the U.S. population.