Posted By: Staff Editor In: Business Professional Social networking websites are taking the internet by storm and are revolutionizing the way society connects and interacts with each other. What once was thought to be an internet fad is now commanding the attention of people and businesses around the world.
Social networking websites are taking the internet by storm and are revolutionizing the way society connects and interacts with each other. What once was thought to be an internet fad is now commanding the attention of people and businesses around the world. Although social networking began primarily as a medium to allow individuals with similar interests to interact on a social level, it has since evolved to give businesses and professionals a place to connect and grow their network of contacts and even careers.
How Social Networking is Enhancing Recruitment Programs
As the recruitment industry continues to evolve into a place where online connections and networking are becoming as important as traditional job ads and paper resumes, employers will find it necessary to continually rethink the way they search, identify and recruit new employees for their organization.
In today’s internet driven society, traditional methods of recruitment and candidate searching are no longer enough. It is important for employers to diversify their recruitment program to include social networking sites to avoid missing out on highly-qualified candidates who frequent these sites.
Social networking sites are giving employers the ability to connect with highly-qualified job seekers on a more personal level than ever before. These sites also provide employers with an effective means of locating passive job seekers, a valuable segment of the marketplace that can sometimes be hard to reach when looking to fill a position within their organization.
How Job Boards Are Tapping into the Social Networking Phenomena
Beyond.com, a network of more than 15,000 online niche career communities, recently polled more than 4,000 network visitors and found that nearly 30 percent of visitors currently use social networking sites. Of those respondents, more than 65 percent said they use social networking sites for job searching and professional networking.
As the poll results indicate, the number of users who engage in online social networking is continuing to grow and more and more individuals are using social networking as a means to further their careers. Many job boards are recognizing the significance of this trend and are beginning to reconfigure their business strategies to stay competitive by offering a professional place online for employers, job seekers and colleagues to connect online.
Many job boards are also utilizing new technologies to allow their users to connect with other members and share information through widgets such as: personal profiles, articles and blogs, etc. which encourages networking with people with similar interests, backgrounds, thoughts, etc. amongst their member base.
Many job boards are looking for ways to tap into these social networking communities since not only do these sites consist of a large pool of members, but more and more of these members are looking for jobs on these sites. Therefore, many job boards are implementing relationships with social networking sites so their jobs are able to be searched directly from sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Friendster, and LinkedIn.
Similarity between Niche Job Boards and Social Networking Sites
Niche job boards, similar to social networking sites, attract members from a specific location, industry or interest, which gives employers the ability to target and reach highly-qualified candidates relevant to their business.
Due in part to the popularity of social networking sites, professionals are accustomed to visiting or creating communities that are focused on their specific wants, needs and interests. Niche job boards are well positioned to deliver just what the professional is looking for in terms of targeted jobs, resources and information. This is something general job boards often times have a difficult time providing, given their broad focus in being everything to everyone.
There is an evolution occurring in the recruitment industry towards niche job sites and one reason for this movement is the popularity of social networking sites that have driven employers and job seekers to want more targeted information and an effective means of obtaining this information.
What the Future Holds for Social Networking and Online Recruitment
Social networking is no doubt beginning to transform the future of the recruitment industry and is opening new doors for employers and job seekers to connect in ways not possible before. Social networking will continue to be mainstream and a popular way to interact and network in an online environment. Similar to niche job boards, it is expected for social networking sites to evolve to appeal to a more targeted audience in the future. More and more people will look for sites that are specifically targeted to their wants and needs versus some of the more generic social networking sites today.
As the social networking industry continues to evolve and grow, it will continue to play a large role in the recruitment industry. Employers will need to take advantage of the tools available online, and supplement traditional recruitment methods with social networking, niche job boards and other advanced technologies to launch the most successful recruitment program possible.
To read more on other topics related to social networking and online recruitment, please visit the Career Articles section.
Comments
Posted by: Mona Shapiro
Please suggest what social networking sites are available in South Florida area?
Posted by: Thien Lee
Q. Does career social networking increasing jobs connection local?Q. Does globalization IT increasing income?Q. Does the BDC International get paid commission or loss profit, and jobs?
Posted by: Allan V Porter
I'm a recent graduate from a massage therapist school. I'm hoping to network with people who may need my services.
Posted by: ram pokharel
HI COLLEAGUES, Professionals are always in the quest how best I can demonstrate my ability and capacity in doing the jobs. But they do not know that there is push and pull in job markets all will not agree with my opinion. But it is true. As we can see with current bail out to the company who has made the company messy one in their tenure and they are awarded by the taxpayers bail out. Get things rolling where would avoid collecting the mosses. That's what we see many of the executives on the banks/company/industries have capsulated with mosses. hence there is need to clean up and start new ideas, NEW KNOWLEDGE NETWORKING THAT WILL MAKE SOME SENSE IN SOCIAL AND PROFESSINAL NETWOKING THAT CAN MAKE AND DEMONSTRATE CHANGE IN US INDUSTRIES.
Posted by: jphouston
I have very limited time to reply and review seems like a good ideal to me. Wish I had the resources needed to study this growing trend! thank you for your help in trying to fufill my needs.john paul houston
Posted by: Rantine McKesson
I feel that what I may do socially, online or otherwise, should bear no weight in who I am professionally. But I don't present myself socially other than one seeking to find like-minded individuals with whom to communicate. I don't put suggestive photos online, or tag myself as some wanting female in search of. I simply state that in such a busy world, with work and family responsibility and not being a club or bar person, that I wish to engage dialogue with, as I stated, like-minded individuals. And, as a result, I have found some wonderful, what I would consider life long friends from my social online networking and/or memberships.That is just my take on it based on my presentation of myself. Could it lead to dating? It might, but that is not my intent. My philosophy is that in any long lasting relationship, friendship must first be established and such friendship is not an overnight thing. I also build my profiles such that if my children, family members or friends were to find me on such a site, I would still be presenting myself as the respectable mature woman I am regarded to be.Thank you for allowing me to express my thoughts. What concerns me more is that my consumer report is accessed and given these volatile times, even once six-figure earners are suffering negative credit entries. My credit, in times such as these, are as the result of an ugly divorce that was once a two income family of some 20 years, could now be used to judge me as a prospective employee or, as we are learning to determine what my car insurance might cost me. Those things concern me more than how I present myself socially online. To me, actually, all of that is my personal business, unless, which is not the case, I have been charged and committed with a felony. Just my thoughts about it all. Thank you again for allowing my opinion on the matter.
Posted by: Jovita Weatherspoon
Thanks for telling me what social networking is all about.
Posted by: Yvonne Huggins
How do I register for social networking. How does this work. Do not bother to answer me if this takes cash as my husband and I are both unemployed.
Posted by: John L.Jackson Jr. On: 5/7/2009 6:26:34 AM
Please tell me how to register for social networking. I want to become a member.
Posted by: Fred Perocier On: 6/4/2009 5:54:53 PM
I haven't had any success finding a job using these social networks! So...I am having a hard time believing any of these so called "Social Networking Sites."
Posted by: Gregory Bisanz On: 7/1/2009 1:25:41 PM
For those interested in joining a social network I would suggest LinkedIn.com. While it will not guarantee you a job it is a great way to make connections to other professionals.
