If you have any reservations or doubts about the importance of social media for job search, career development and networking you are seriously vulnerable and compromising your potential for advancement and success. Social recruitment is not only viable and working but it is going to be a key job and career practice and tool used to research, screen, hire and qualify candidates moving forward.
Are your social sites ready to be viewed by job seekers, your current employer or a prospective employer? If not, get them and yourself ready now.
- 37% of employers use social networks to screen potential job candidates.
- 65% said they do it to see if the job seeker presents himself or herself professionally.
- 45% want to learn more about his or her qualifications.
Companies are increasingly using social recruiting to source candidates for employment, as well as to investigate applicants they are considering hiring. If you are not socially and mobile savvy, in addition to going in person, regardless of your age or generation, you are missing out on a substantial 50% of your career and job opportunities.
The 21st century job and career landscape is dense, wide, diverse and challenging for anyone, but it’s also rich, full of potential and opportunity. Social media, mobile tools and apps offer bridges and highways to cross and travel to meet people, explore, connect and build relationships in between phone calls and in person networking.
Forbes career journalist Jacqueline Smith writes:
The good news is that hiring managers aren’t just screening your social media profiles to dig up dirt; they’re also looking for information that could possibly give you an advantage.
Twenty nine percent of surveyed hiring managers found something positive on a profile that drove them to offer the candidate a job. More proof that monitoring your online presence is critical.
Searching company Twitter feeds, Facebook pages and LinkedIn Groups dramatically improves the odds of finding job opportunities that are not posted on job boards. They are often shared between connections, so making smart ones is critical, especially on LinkedIn.
I was recently connected to 15 year career professional Chris Russell, who I believe has a smart, timely site called CareerCloud.com, that connects job seekers to employers with social tools and mobile apps.
Chris knows the hiring and job search process well through his background and has created a great blend of tools, templates and apps for today’s social and mobile job seeker and companies looking for them. They are designed to maximize online and social connections for job seekers but especially younger workers and college grads, most comfortable with the online and social technologies. They make it easier for older workers to learn and use the simple templates and easy connectivity tools for job search too.
Their Social Resume, Jobs with Friends and custom apps features aggregate social media accounts, leverage Facebook and LinkedIn connections to get referrals, and help you stay informed on trends, jobs and career news on the go.
Social recruitment is going to be a primary way to network, get noticed, find qualified candidates and hidden job opportunities.
If you have any skill gaps in this or any other technology area, close them by hiring a career consultant, taking some webinars, checking on workshops available in your community or educational institutions.
Get ready and be ready to go social, be mobile, get hired and move ahead. Learn more about how companies are using social recruitment successfully with this useful and helpful social recruitment guide.
How are you using social media, mobile and apps to further your career advancement?
Social Recruiting Photo via Shutterstock
