“The value of a social network is defined not only by who’s on it, but by who’s excluded.” ~ Paul Saffo, Silicon Valley Forecaster
Social networking is now a standard recruiting tool of recruiters, enabling employers to cut money and time spent on other recruiting methods.
Jobvite, a recruiting technology vendor in Burlingame, California, conducted a mid-year 2010 survey, revealing a definite new norm in how companies recruit. Of more than 600 respondents (only 3% Jobvite clients), 73% of HR and recruiter folks said they used social networks or media in recruiting during 2010, while another 9% planned to begin.
Jobvite’s President and CEO, Dan Finnigan, said, “Social network recruiting has become a mainstream channel. Job boards launched a revolution in recruiting more than 15 years ago. And now, social networks are doing the same.” (Sources: HR Magazine and www.jobvite.com).
The top three sites:
• LinkedIn 78%
• Facebook 55%
• Twitter 45%
Other Social Recruiting Survey indicators for 2010 over 2009 spend:
• 46% more on social network recruiting
• 36% less on job boards
• 38% less on third-party recruiters
In a nutshell, if you don’t show up in Google today, you don’t exist. Create and manage your digital portfolio. The management piece should be ongoing, whether you’re in job hunt mode or happily employed. It’s about connecting with people. People will get you jobs. People will give you business or help your business.
LinkedIn is essential for professional networking. Surveys show that employers look for talent on LinkedIn BEFORE they go to Facebook, Twitter, Job Boards, Search Engines, You Tube etc. But it’s a static site that like a garden, must be tended to and nurtured. Make an ROI-based profile with rich keywords. Maximize use of your Account Settings, Apps, Recommendations, Q&A, Job Pages, Company Pages and more. Scout out connections and grow your network.
Time Magazine recently named Mark Zuckerberg, the creator and CEO of Facebook, its 2010 Person of the Year.
“Person of the Year is not and never has been an honor. It is recognition of the power of individuals to shape our world. For connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relationship among them (something that has never been done before); for creating a new system of exchanging information that has become both indispensable and sometimes a little scary; and finally for changing how we all live our lives in ways that are innovative and even optimistic, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is Time’s 2010 Person of the Year.” ~ Richard Stengel, Time
If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest, behind only China and India. It started out as a bit of fun. It’s now impacted the way we connect on a global scale.
You can create a Facebook page for your business, department, or professional self.
And while you’re showcasing your expertise and professional brand, it’s okay to mix in the non-business side of you. Chemistry and kinship are important in a positive, strong digital presence. Remember the people-helping-people part above?
Twitter is fast becoming an essential career management tool. In The Twitter Job Search Guide, authors Susan Whitcomb, Deb Dib and Chandlee Bryan show how you can advance your career using Twitter just 15 minutes a day! Margo Rose founded #HireFriday to connect job seekers to resources. It’s been a huge success–and just one in a myriad of possibilities!
The point is that you can choose to make Twitter, Facebook or other social networking an exclusive vehicle for business connections and visibility building. Social networking is not going away. It’s part of the framework of how we work and how we live. Job search not excluded.
Here are two great free tools to help manage your digital presence:
• Reach Communications has an Online ID Calculator™ , a great tool to walk you through your Google results; and to build an online identity aligned with your real-world personal brand.
• Want to see how others see you? Check out Vizibility™, the world’s first SearchMe™ button/link for Google. At no cost, you can add it to your LinkedIn, Facebook and other online profiles. You are alerted when you are searched on Google; and when your search results change.
Are you out there in cyberspace? Do you like what you see? Would you want to connect with you? If not, what could make it better? Comments from recruiters, HR folks and active/passive job candidates welcomed!
“It isn’t just what you know, and it isn’t just who you know. It’s actually who you know, who knows you, and what you do for a living.” ~ Bob Burg, Author & Speaker
