More workers in the Northeast found career success last year using networking to open doors to new jobs than want ads, placement agencies or other traditional job-search tools, a Norwalk firm’s survey shows.
Right Management said 46 percent of data analyzed on more than 4,500 people to whom it provided career-transition services showed success from networking in 2009, up from 45 percent in 2008.
Nationally, based on data for more than 43,000 job seekers the efficacy of networking rose to 45 percent in 2009 from 41 percent in 2008.
The unit of Manpower Inc. said the recession is behind the growing use of networking as a job-search tool.
“What the findings suggest is that people trust people,” said  Right Management Vice President Bill Brimmer. “In the Northeast region, networking is twice as successful at landing a new job as any other approach, and five times more effective than simply cold-calling a prospective employer.”
The Internet accounted for 18 percent of placements last year, up from 16 percent a year earlier.
Satisfied users of agency/search firms slipped to 11 percent from 18 percent, the biggest decline in the survey, Right Management said. Â The category for “other” kinds of jobs search remained unchanged at 11 percent.
Want ads and a direct approach to hiring managers accounted for 6 percent and 8 percent, respectively, of successful job searches, the survey showed.
