Feb
This week Susan and I spoke at a “Brown Bag” panel discussion at ProMatch in Sunnyvale. The subject of the discussion was blogging for job seekers. Before we could discuss blogging, we provided our posit (which is coming true each day) that we formulated in Q 2 of 2008: the role of the resume has changed, there is a paradigm shift and new trend in job search, and the role of the job seeker has changed.
Your resume is no longer your #1 marketing tool in a job search, job search is being performed online via social media networks by hiring managers, and job seekers must deliver their value via the social media tools available to them.
Mounting Evidence of the Paradigm Shift: Applicant Explorer Tool
In another piece of evidence that signals the paradigm shift in job search, Careerbuilder.com recently rolled out a new feature called the Applicant Explorer on their blog TheHiringSite.com. What is The Hiring Site blog? According to careerbuilder.com:
- Social networking sites
- Professional and personal blogs
- Personal and corporate Web sites
- Press releases
- Discussion and forum postings
- Articles and news stories published online
Analysis
Careerbuilder.com is competing with Linkedin’s Application features. Linkedin features allows job seekers to stream their online content directly into their profile page. Most job seekers do not opt in to provide their online content on their Linkedin profile page. With careerbuilder’s Applicant Explorer, job seekers will not be able to hide the fact they do not have an online presence. This raises the stakes for job seekers in the continually evolving paradigm shift in job search today. Make no mistake about it, job seeker’s must deliver their value first before the resume or appear to be completely out of touch with the current job search climate.
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2 Responses to “Careerbuilder’s Applicant Explorer Tool: More Evidence Hiring Managers Are Looking Online”
And this is bad for most people.Bad for privacy.
That is how this story should end.
Besides a person web footprint is going to give an incomplete and inaccurate picture of the type of worker they will be.
I have been beta testing it also and think that the old way to avoid having your myspace connections to inept college buddy ruin you image before you next job interview is simply not to use careerbuilder to look for work at all. It simply isn’t looking out for job seekers interests.
Hi Chad,
Privacy is suffering in today’s Internet world as transparency seems to be the currency of bloggers and readers.
The idea behind this article is to raise the awareness of job seekers, who for 50+ years have relied upon resumes, a technology-less response mode non viral document, to the opportunities to market their value through social media tools.
Careerbuilder.com has basically emulated Linkedin’s application tools that allow job seeker’s to stream live blog content to their profile. Whether Careerbuilder’s Applicant Explorer performs an adequate job is up to each individual recruiter and hiring manager.
Job seeker’s need to understand that they must consider delivering their value before their resume. You may be right that Careerbuilder is not looking out for job seeker’s interests. But isn’t that up to each individual job seeker?
Reputation management has always been an issue. Today if a person has a common name, as you point out in your blog article, that person has a tough time moving their information into a page one Google search. The method to combat this problem is to utilize your middle name or middle initial. If that does not work then more creative measure should be implemented.
From my conversations with hiring managers, hr personnel, od people, and job seekers here in Silicon Valley, all seem to believe that a Google search is being performed on a job seeker’s name prior to their interview.
If this is the case, then I suggest job seekers begin to move positive information and their value message of expertise and experience online via the social media tools available to them today.
Thanks for your comment and concerns. It is always great to hear support for job seekers desperately trying to find work.