“Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments, and overall fit within the company”–Rosemary Haefner Vice President of Human Resource Careerbuilder.com
Susan and I presented our workshop “Web 2.0′s Impact on Job Seekers: The Changing Roles of the Resume, Job Search, and Job Seeker” at CSIX this past Tuesday to a packed house of over 110 hopeful job seekers. As we settled into facilitating this workshop, we realized that for the first time we were about to present our complete thesis and theme.
We have been supporting blogging as a more powerful and proactive “living” resume since June of 2008. Yet Tuesday was our first opportunity to evangelize the emergence of a paradigm shift, where social media tools and Web 2.0 strategies replaced the resume, as a job seeker’s main marketing tool.
Web 2.0 Paradigm Shift in Communications
The decades of mass media dominance and stranglehold over the control and flow of information is waning. Today is the greatest time in human history for communication, connectivity, collaboration, networking, and delivering your message of value, expertise, and experience to your strategicially targeted hiring managers and companies.
There is a global conversation going on between bloggers, people networking and finding opportunities on Linkedin, resources and messages being broadcast on Twitter, and companies searching for human capital talent throughout the social media stratosphere.
Companies Adopting Web 2.0 and Blogs: Tools to Promote Business
Our friend and blogger Ray Schiel, of globalsocialmedianetwork.com, has produced a massive resource page that outlines the participation of 105 major corporations in blogging, 64 on Facebook pages, 12 podcasting, 12 crowdsourcing sites, and 100′s of companies microblogging on Twitter.
Job Seekers’ Tip: These social media tools are being used by major corporations to promote their products, services, and business practices. If you want to connect with your target company, and they utilize social media tools, then this is a major opportunity to connect as well as demonstrate your understanding of their efforts.
Companies Monitoring Web 2.0 and Social Media: Screening and Hiring Practices
Not only are major corporations utilizing these tools for their own business practices, they are using them to find new talent and perform due diligence on potential applicants. Computer World’s “One in Five Employers Uses Social Networks in Hiring Process” outlines a Careerbuilder.com survey of 31,000 employers. The results are very compelling:
1. 24% of hiring managers “found content on social networks that helped convince them to hire a candidate.” In addition hiring managers said that “profiles showing a professional image and solid references can boost a candidates chances for a job.”
2. 22% of the 31,000 employers said they “peruse social networks to screen candidates.”
3. 9% more of the 31,000 employers said they are planning to do so
4. A total of 9,600 employers are going to search for candidates and perform due diligence rather than rely on resumes to tell a job seekers story
Deliver Your Value First
The conclusion is that job seekers must deliver their value first before attempting to deliver their resume. Social media and Web 2.0 are changing job search. The resume is no longer a job seeker’s marketing tool. It is up to job seekers, in this very rough job market, to utilize these tools in order to stand apart and become memorable.
4 Comments
Join the conversation and post a comment.
Interesting article, Dean. I agree that as the landscape is changing, job seekers must deliver value to potential employers and explore different and new ways of delivering said value if they want to stay competitive.
I love your point that “Today is the greatest time in human history for communication, connectivity, collaboration, networking, and delivering your message of value, expertise, and experience to your strategicially targeted hiring managers and companies.” Well said.
New types of media are changing the way that job seekers find jobs, but also how employers present themselves to job seekers. Employers and job seekers are both utilizing these mediums to connect with each other – and often well before the interview process.
New media is changing job search, but also candidate search – and if employers expect candidates to be utilizing these methods, they must follow by example. I have linked above to a post on CareerBuilder.com’s employer blog by our VP of corporate marketing Jason Ferrara, in which he explains a bit about how he uses it and how others can make it a part of their recruiting mix.
I would also add that despite our current competitive job market, employers must convey their value to potential employees and continue to find ways to innovate and set themselves apart, and sell job seekers on their opportunities and unique offerings.
Amy,
Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement and feedback. I am particularly proud of my passage you cite:
“Today is the greatest time in human history for communication, connectivity, collaboration, networking, and delivering your message of value, expertise, and experience to your strategicially targeted hiring managers and companies.”
That paragraph is one I deliver in nearly everyone of my workshops as a takeaway.
We are evangelists for your efforts at Careerbuilder.com as you and your company understand the new trend and shift we are experiencing.
I would like to connect with you and Jason to discuss the ways we could support our work, network, and provide further “proof” articles that move this message forward.
Thank you and I hope we can connect soon!
Dean
Amy,
Yes you are right that employers should also convey their value. From my understanding, one of the biggest values that an employer can provide to their workforce is a “mentoring” program. If this is the case, then every company that has mentoring should support it with a blog.
I am very interested in education; most specifically the idea that every university and college student should be blogging. Students must consider creating an online presence prior to entering the job market. Universities should be recruiting students by writing a blog with campus life, video additions, and professor profiles available.
Thanks again for the thought provoking idea.
Dean