Social Media and Job Hunting
Social media has become an essential tool in the job hunting process, allowing individuals to enhance their visibility and marketability to potential employers. With millions of job openings and a competitive labor market, job seekers increasingly turn to platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to share resumes, apply for positions, and develop professional networks. Social media not only offers candidates the opportunity to discover job postings but also allows recruiters to screen applicants and share information about their companies, thus creating a two-way street for communication.
As of recent years, LinkedIn has emerged as the leading platform for job postings and professional networking, while other sites can supplement job searches by providing insights into company culture and industry trends. However, the digital footprint left by candidates on these platforms can significantly affect hiring decisions, as recruiters often evaluate online profiles to gauge communication skills and personality. Therefore, maintaining a polished and relevant social media presence is crucial for job seekers. Despite the potential pitfalls, effectively utilizing social media can offer a competitive edge in the job market, making it an indispensable resource for today’s job hunters.
Social Media and Job Hunting
According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there were 6.6 million job vacancies in the United States at the end of March 2018, which was the highest level of job openings since December 2000. Despite the increase, 6.3 million Americans were unemployed in April 2018 and were looking for work; another 1.4 million were considered "marginally attached to the labor force" as they were unemployed and had sought employment within the preceding year, though not recently. When there are more people in search of jobs than there are jobs to fill, it is important for applicants to utilize as many tools as possible. A growing number are turning to social media to share résumés, apply for work, and enhance their marketability to prospective employers. Websites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook enable individuals to widen their professional network, research and apply for career opportunities, and build relationships with potential employers.
In such a competitive job market, recruiters and employers also turning to social media to post jobs, verify facts on an applicant’s résumé, and assess an applicant’s communication skills, background, and personality. Employers also use social media to promote their companies, products, and brands, and to attract applicants.
Brief History
The birth of social media is rooted in the desire to facilitate communication. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Bulletin Board System (BBS) was the first version of today’s social media. It was accessed over telephone lines via a modem, and although very slow, it gave users a platform to share information and files, post announcements, and download games.
The 1980s was also a time of accelerated Internet evolution as home computers became more prevalent in American households. Prodigy Communications Corporation was the first provider to offer home computer users online access (via telephone lines) to weather reports, stock market numbers, and breaking news. At the end of the 1980s, Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), created the very first website, which explained how to access information online and how to create a website. This then led to what was called the World Wide Web in the 1990s with millions of people having access to over one million sites.
Among the myriad websites available on the Internet in the mid-1990s was Classmates.com, which allowed users to take part in virtual class reunions using instant messaging and blogging. Other websites, many of which were short-lived, allowed users to create profiles in order to better connect with others. Widely believed to be the first social networking site, Six Degrees was launched in 1997 and allowed users to send messages to and post bulletin board items to family, friends, and acquaintances
At the turn of the twenty-first century, handheld devices with web capabilities (such as Palm Pilots and, later, smartphones) increased the availability of Internet access. Meanwhile, the evolution of social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace made social networking commonplace. In the early 2000s, two of the most dominant social networking sites, LinkedIn and Facebook, went online. LinkedIn has since become one the most popular sites for business and professional networking.
Social Media as a Professional Resource
Social media is used by employers and by individuals seeking employment. As of 2016, LinkedIn remained the most popular site for employers and recruiters to post job openings and to screen and contact candidates. It is also one of the most popular sites for viewing and responding to job postings (using the site’s cover-letter feature and uploading a résumé). Other popular social media sites used for employment searches are Facebook, Google+, and Twitter. In 2017, SmartRecruiters.com reported that more than 60 percent of job postings are submitted to specialty job boards.
Job postings are viewed and acted on by hundreds and perhaps thousands of candidates. In order to attract the most qualified candidates for a position, employers and recruiters have to ensure that any job postings, company profiles, blog entries, or other social media communications are informative and clearly written. Similarly, candidates must ensure that their personal profiles are also well-written and relevant since individual profiles, as an extension of the résumé, should highlight professional development and demonstrate the pertinent qualifications prospective employers would seek. Many career counselors recommend that LinkedIn profiles be geared toward the job the candidate wants rather than the job the candidate has. Profiles should also be geographically relevant. LinkedIn postings, for example, can be organized by country, state, and municipal region.
Social media sites can also be venues for candidates to learn about the culture and management of prospective employers that interest them. Similarly, such platforms may allow candidates to learn about and discuss business trends and topics of interest within their industry or an industry they wish to join. Finally, sites like LinkedIn enable users to connect and communicate with friends, colleagues, or other professional networking contacts who may introduce them to prospective employers or recruiters.
An important distinction of job searching via social media sites is that information is shared among an individual’s network. Postings can be potentially deleterious to one’s job pursuits, but an informative, well-constructed, and relevant post can be valuable and set a candidate apart in the eyes of a potential employer.
Trends in Social Media and Job Hunting
According to a July 2016 survey by the social recruiting software company Jobvite, 87 percent of recruiters polled assessed prospective candidates through LinkedIn and 43 percent of respondents did so using Facebook while nearly 60 percent of job seekers research prospective employers through social media platforms. LinkedIn is also a popular social networking site for professional development. Facebook, blogs, and Instagram are used less often by recruiters and employers. Traditional job-search websites like Indeed, Glassdoor, and Monster also provide social media venues where recruiters, employers, and candidates can network, share information, and post and respond to job openings. Despite its 140-character limit, Twitter is also used by job hunters and employers. It is especially important that posts or tweets are well written, clear, and use proper spellings.
Appearances matter greatly to recruiters and employers, both online and in person. According to the Jobvite survey, 41 percent of respondents felt that candidate photographs influenced their first impressions and were sensitive to casual dress in particular. Other assessment factors include photographs of a candidate's alcohol or marijuana use, oversharing of personal information, typographical errors, self-portraits ("selfies"), and even political affiliation shared on social media sites.
The volume and diversity of employment-related social media outlets can sometimes cause confusion for job seekers and employers alike since the medium seems to continually evolve with websites using increasingly cutting-edge techniques to effectively connect businesses and candidates. In a highly competitive job market, however, job hunters should be familiar with any tool that gives them an advantage.
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