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 conducted online by The Harris Poll. And eight in 10 (80%) say that applying for a job feels like sending their résumé 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 résumés and job-on-demand apps) actually make it more difficult to land a job (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 a job.

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 job opportunities. Only about one in four (24%) say text messages would be welcome.

“When recruiting talent, ‘high touch’ still wins the day,” said 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.”

To learn more about the ASA Workforce Monitor, visit americanstaffing.net/workforcemonitor. You can also follow ASA research on Twitter.

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.

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About the American Staffing Association

The American Staffing Association is the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry. ASA and its state affiliates advance the interests of the industry across all sectors through advocacy, research, education, and the promotion of high standards of legal, ethical, and professional practices. For more information about ASA, visit americanstaffing.net.

About the ASA Workforce Monitor

The ASA Workforce Monitor is a periodic survey commissioned by ASA and conducted online by Harris Poll among 1,000 or more U.S. adults age 18 and older. The survey series focuses on current workforce trends and issues. For more information about the survey series, visit americanstaffing.net/workforcemonitor.

About The Harris Poll

The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 and is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm.