Who’s More Likely to Get Hired?

…Workers who are looking for a job — or ones who aren’t?

Although nearly three-fourths of HR professionals (71 percent) feel referrals are the best way to find candidates, only 7 percent of job seekers view them as their top job-hunt resource, according to a new survey from research firm Future Workplace and job portal Beyond, The Career Network.

The survey also found that individuals who are employed, open to external possibilities and have a wide network of potential referrals — passive job seekers

— are more likely to get hired than active job seekers who are unemployed and looking for work.

Eighty percent of employers value passive job seekers because they feel they’ll be the most effective employees. Forty-four percent said passive job seekers also tend to have more experience, and 42 percent think they take their careers seriously.

Find out how passive and active job seekers and hiring professionals feel about educational background, in-demand skills and other topics in this press release from Future Workplace and Beyond.