Social Media and the Job Search: Ten Trends

By Chris Kulbaba

Technology has been a game-changer in the past 10 years, and you better believe it is transforming career development

In today’s war for talent, it is becoming increasingly hard to ignore the impact that technology is having on jobseekers, recruiters, businesses and the people that help them. It is very important for career professionals to be aware of these changes and, of course, to be familiar with using these tools in order to assist clients. A study by Reppler in 2011 found that over 90% of recruiters were checking potential hires through social media channels. Whether career professionals personally use the tools or not, it is important to realize the implications for business and individuals. Simply because you know what a hammer is, that does not mean that you can build a house with it now – you start small and increase your skills as you go. The best way to begin then is to understand the changes that have taken place, and how people are using these tools with impact in their jobseeking.

1. Connecting and relationship management

We often talk about the fit of employee into an organization, and that means the worker must do research first before applying for a job. Tools such as websites, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and more are an easy and free way to find people to talk to in order to determine fit. The focus of social media is that it is “social,” and many people who would not be willing to talk on the phone or through email will do so in these channels. Finding groups or forums related to an organization or a career topic is an easy way to build relationships leading to success. I had a client who was a new Canadian and wanted to be a medical affairs director, something I had no idea about. I reached out on LinkedIn and introduced him to people in Egypt, Italy, the US and Canada. He was able to connect with a few people to do information interviews and start his career journey.

2. Building authority

As we head into a new Age of Information, we are building an economy based on relationships and networking. The ability to create a presence using inexpensive or free tools is easier now than it has ever been. Becoming a subject matter authority in your sector is as easy as beginning to write your own website, or “blog.” Free tools such as typepad.com, blogger.com or wordpress.com can assist you in creating your own platform and start a process known as technical blogging, meaning creating content that identifies you as a subject matter expert in certain areas, and all it takes is your time. Not only does this process communicate that you are aware of new technology, it also says that you are aware of the changes in the social landscape and how to navigate them, something employers are increasingly looking for.

3. Personal branding

Personal branding is one of the most important trends that is happening today. It is not, however, a universal process. Not all professionals are undertaking this process, for instance front-line staff, labourers, skilled trades or non-technical workers. Those that do see the importance of personal branding do not have to begin on their own, but can simply look at the gurus. Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Crush It!, is one of those people. Gary took a small family-owned wine store in New Jersey that was earning about $2 million a year and, using free social media tools, that store began earning over $25 million a year. You can find more about him at garyvaynerchuk.com; another well-known personal branding guru and best-selling author, Dan Schawbel, can be found at danschawbel.com. Creating a long “tail” of information on the Internet that an employer can easily find and evaluate before they spend time on an interview can make a significantly positive difference for a candidate.

4. Employers are using social recruiting

“Social recruiting” is the process of sourcing or recruiting candidates through the use of social platforms such as LinkedIn. Much like it has changed how we live our lives, social media has found a way into how business is being performed across the globe. Many companies are embracing social media to increase their business, leverage the impact of their brands, create awareness of their products and services, and many are not. The companies that are ahead of the curve and are early adopters in the process of social recruiting are finding many benefits to this process, and the staff being recruited this way are already fully engaged.

5. Mobile technology – Managing your career “on the go”

Data is inexpensive to purchase and many tech-savvy people are turning to their smartphones and tablets to collect information, network with others, communicate to find information or solve problems, seek out new ideas and stay efficient. Reading a newspaper article on the way to work, listening to a podcast on the commute back home, sharing ideas through applications such as evernote.com and dropbox.com; the way that technology is being used is becoming faster and more dynamic.

6. Search engine optimization

Have you tried to Google your own name yet? That is just the thing that an aspiring ad executive did back in 2009 – he bought the Google AdWords of the names of the top ad executives in New York City. When they “Googled” their own names, the result was a message: “Googling your name is fun – but what is more fun is leveraging the results for success. I can be reached here for a conversation.” He spent less than $10 to be recruited into a job that paid 6 figures – simply by being really creative.

7. Resume links

Time is of the essence in our society, and as career professionals we urge clients to tell their story, in a concise way, but at the same time in a way that creates a persona. Say enough, but not too much, and say the right thing – a difficult task. A potential solution is to create different digital tools, and then let an employer link to those tools through an interactive resume. Technology such as Quick Response codes (small digital bar codes that look like a maze within a small square) are an easy way to access mobile technology. Most smartphones can download a free application to read these codes, and they can send you to any number of sites – your profile on a Dropbox link, your PowerPoint presentations on slideshare.com, your LinkedIn profile, your Twitter feed, your personal blog and more. Hyperlinks are another way to save space on a resume and still deliver a significant amount of information to a potential employer.

8. Time management

Using tools such as social media or looking for information online can quickly eat your day, taking productive time away from job search efforts. Dashboards such as Hootsuite (hootsuite.com) can help you use a single tool to listen and hold conversations in up to five social media channels, all for free. I prefer Hootsuite to other dashboards because it is web-based, so I can access it anywhere there is an Internet connection.

9. Twitter chats

Twitter chats happen when a group of people all tweet about the same topic using a specific hashtag (#) that allows it to be followed by Twitter users. The chats take place at a specific time and often happen on a regular basis. I like to follow different conversations in Twitter using Hootsuite. Specifically, learning LinkedIn can be much easier if you are on the Twitter chat #linkedinchat that is hosted by Viveka Von Rosen each Tuesday from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET, or you can just follow the chat in your Hootsuite channel at any time convenient to you as the chat history is right at your fingertips. If you want to learn more, Hootsuite University can teach you all about using their tool, for free.

10. Social skills

For a business to stay competitive, gauging the effectiveness, speed and content of communication skills that lie within a potential hire can be a crucial factor for success of the organization as a whole. For many people, using social media in their daily lives has allowed them to become better at solving problems, researching information, and collaborating with others – all useful talents when searching for a job, during the selection process or once you’ve been hired.

As career professionals, whether we personally use these tools or not, we must be aware of the changes and the potential trends in our ever-changing employment landscape. A global workforce, online collaboration and crowdsourcing – the only thing that will stay the same is that change will always happen. There are fantastic opportunities to share and model success for our clients and ourselves – all it takes is a bit of time to talk to each other and watch the trends.

Chris Kulbaba is an Employment Counselor with the London Employment Help Centre in London, ON. Chris regularly delivers webinars for Conestoga College in the CDP program, offers his services as an expert speaker, facilitator and coach on social media topics, and is creating a new career development tool “Career Card Sort” – but takes the greatest pride in being a dad and a loyal family man. You can find Chris on Twitter, LinkedIn, Skype, Facebook and at his new website/blog launching in January 2014 better-together.ca.