XING launches new generation of job ads

• Applicants’ contacts working at the company can provide personal insights
• Job ads now with reviews from kununu, the largest employer review platform in German-speaking countries, and an average rating
• XING study shows that personal contacts play a major part in choosing a job

Hamburg, 18 July 2013 - People on the lookout for a job all agree that the information available to them should be both genuine and unedited. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case as companies battling it out for the best people will do whatever they can to attract them, including expensive careers pages, glossy corporate brochures and fancy job ads. Just how authentic is the image they portray? Do applicants really take the bait? Apparently not. A survey XING AG carried out among 532 employees in German-speaking countries showed that 90 per cent of them prefer to gather information and opinions from employees rather than company careers sites. XING has taken these findings and used them as an opportunity to reinvent the job ad. Up until now, job ads were merely official company presentations. But very soon job-seekers on XING will be able to receive first-hand information and insights into companies that post job ads and also see which of their contacts work there. If none of their direct contacts works at a company they’re interested in, job-seekers will be shown contact paths indicating whether any of their contacts knows someone who does. These personal links are a quick and easy way for potential job candidates to get the low-down on a company from people who work there. They can even ask them for a personal recommendation.

Job ads on XING now also contain reviews from kununu, the largest employer review platform in German-speaking countries, together with a rating on a scale of 1 to 5 that lets job-seekers know what current and former employees think about the company in terms of working atmosphere, leadership and work-life balance. This therefore provides members with an immediate overview of the company as an employer and helps them to decide whether or not they’d like to apply there.

Thomas Vollmoeller, CEO at XING AG: “When looking for a new career challenge, today’s workforce can’t be taken in by expensive careers sites or glossy brochures. They want to know what the company is really like and gain real insights before submitting an application. They want to see a transparent labour market, and there’s no better way of achieving that than with reviews from the employees themselves. Our new job ads cater to this need and reflect the current situation on the labour market.”

Two thirds of the people surveyed were sent a job ad by someone they know
The study carried out by XING AG also showed that contacts have a key part to play when it comes to choosing a job with 69 per cent of the people surveyed stating that they had received at least one job recommendation from someone they know, and 36 per cent actually got a job resulting from a personal recommendation.

But which topics are hot among job applicants? According to the survey, 87 per cent would take advantage of the opportunity to find out about a company’s working atmosphere or collegiality while 66 per cent are interested in key facts such as salary and promotion opportunities. In terms of personal recommendations, 53 per cent of the people surveyed would be happy for company employees to let them know about a vacancy, and 98 per cent of all employees would relish the opportunity to talk to direct or indirect contacts about the company they work for in order to gain an inside perspective. The new job ads will be available with all of the XING Jobs products from the end of July onwards. About XING
XING is the social network for business professionals. More than 13 million members worldwide – over 6 million of whom are based in German-speaking countries – use XING to boost their business, job, and career. XING is a platform where professionals from all kinds of different industries can meet up, find jobs, colleagues, new assignments, cooperation partners, experts and generate business ideas. Members can meet and exchange views in over 50,000 specialist groups, while also getting together at networking events. The platform is operated by XING AG, which was founded in Hamburg, Germany, in 2003, has been publicly listed since 2006, and listed on the TecDAX since September 2011. In December 2010, XING acquired amiando AG, a Munich-based company and Europe’s leading provider of online event management and ticketing. The acquisition of kununu GmbH, the leading platform for employer reviews in German-speaking countries, allows XING to extend its position as the social recruiting market leader. Please visit

www.xing.com for more information.