Is the Future of Job Search in Social Media?

By Jane Adams

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Recently I have become aware of software developed for job searching on social networks. The one I saw (JobMarker) allows a user to nominate social networking sites, provide lists of job-related groups and enable searches within all major social networks. This tool raised an interesting discussion in one of the groups I'm a member in and I thought it might interest you too.

What are the main methods to find jobs in today’s job market?

Social Media postings

Companies, recruitment agencies and talent advisors are increasingly turning to free-to-use social networks to post jobs and identify candidates. They use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest and more to post job openings on the company pages and relevant career and industry groups. It's then down to job seekers to search for relevant job postings. Using online/mobile tools can help the search (e.g. JobMarker or Tweetmyjobs).

Job boards

Traditionally, these are websites with job opening posts that have been harvested from elsewhere on the web or posted directly to the website (e.g. Monster). Job seekers need to actively connect to these websites and search the jobs by using keywords, however there are several issues with these sites. Some charge a subscription fee, meaning often the most prestigious jobs don’t get to these job boards. They still represent a valid source for job searching, but their effectiveness is diminishing as fewer companies and job seekers use them, mainly because it's too expensive.

Word-of-mouth

Word-of-mouth will always be a major route for new hires. Perhaps a friend hears of an interesting job opening in your field, or a neighbour remembers his son has some connections and so on. Recruiters often give more credit to candidates that come through this channel. and it is always cost effective. Use your connections to hunt an opportunity.

Employee Referral Programs

Employees are a great source of knowledge for recruitment. Employees will most likely have friends or acquaintances that are in the same field. Employee referral programs (e.g. Tomigo or Goodjob) can therefore be an effective means for recruitment.

Job fairs

Relatively an old school method, where you can usually find the big companies hunting fresh talent. Usually more relevant to alumni students.

There are many more sources out there, but I feel these are the most relevant.

All methods are valid in your quest for your new job. I personally think that the recruitment industry is moving in the direction of the social networks. It’s more efficient, easy to use, free, and takes advantage of your connections' referrals. 

Do you think social recruiting sites will become the standard for job-seeking in the future, or is it another attempt by the IT industry to erode consistency within the job market?

 

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You might like these blog posts How Will the Internet of Things Affect Social Media?, How to Right the Wrongs When Things Go Awry, Why Small Businesses Need to Lean on Technology More, and The Costs of Marketing on Social Media.

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