Job hunting in the digital age.

Job hunting has changed dramatically. Companies and job seekers alike have moved to the Web and its many forms of social media to connect with one another. Social networks like LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are surging in popularity and all age groups are quickly adopting these as tools to aide in the job search process.

Though recruiters and personal relationships remain the most effective means to building your network and securing a new job, using the latest digital mediums can be a great way to expand your network and supplement your search. And as HR professionals and recruiters embrace these new technologies from a recruiting perspective, knowing how to capitalize on the available digital mediums is essential to a successful job search.

If it's on the web, it's public!

Some of today's savviest job seekers are using social media outlets such as MySpace (40 million unique users), Facebook and LinkedIn to get their foot in the door and become the top candidate in a search (through such practices as networking sites, blogs and video resumes). But, while social networks can help a search, they can just as easily harm a search — if the content on the web is deemed unprofessional.

Employers are scouring the web more and more for candidates and, thanks to the information available online, they can conduct instant background checks — most commonly by using a search engine. Personal information on job candidates is everywhere these days — from websites, blogs and chat rooms to alumni sites and more.

What is social media?

According to Wikipedia, social media describes the online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with each other. A few prominent examples of social media applications are MySpace (social networking), YouTube (video sharing), Second Life (virtual reality), Digg (news sharing), Flickr (photo sharing) and Miniclip (game sharing). These sites typically use technologies such as blogs, message boards, podcasts, wikis, and vlogs to allow users to interact.

How social media sites are used by employers and job seekers.

Social media sites such as MySpace and Facebook are used by millions as networking tools. Users connect with hundreds of friends with whom they can share photos, blogs, personal statements and comments. Wildly popular with Generation Y, these sites can be open to the public or put to “private view” — where only a person listed as a “friend” can access the information. Video sharing on YouTube and photo sharing on Flickr are just as popular and also provide a glimpse into a person's private life, while in a very public domain.

According to a study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), one in ten employers will use social networking sites to review a job candidate's information — gaining access through the public Internet domain into a person's private life. More than 60 percent of employers who review the sites say that the information they glean there will have at least some influence on their hiring decision.

According to a New York Times article, “Many companies that recruit on college campuses have been using search engines like Google and Yahoo to conduct background checks on seniors looking for their first job. But now, college career counselors and other experts say, some recruiters are looking up applicants on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Xanga and Friendster, where college students often post risqué photographs and provocative comments about drinking and recreational drug use in what some mistakenly believe is relative privacy. When viewed by corporate recruiters or admissions officials at graduate and professional schools, such pages can make students look immature and unprofessional, at best.”

Using social media to your advantage.

Auditing your web profile is an important step in your job search. However, a recent survey shows that many people don't know how to review and modify information about themselves online. Follow these steps to cleaning up your Internet profile so you can use social media to your advantage and prevent it from harming your hunt for a job.

1. Protect your online persona.

For people with profiles on social networking sites:

Don't post anything that you wouldn't want a prospective employer to see. This includes derogatory comments, revealing or risqué photos, foul language and inappropriate jokes. These are a reflection of a person as a whole and managers want to find employees who have all-around professional characteristics.

• Set your profile to “private” so it is only viewable to your selected friends.
  
• You can't control what others say about you, so consider a “block comments” feature.
  
• Check your profile regularly to ensure it remains professional and appropriate for a potential employer to see should they search and find it.

2. Keep tabs on what the Internet has to say about you.

Do a search and find out what the web has to say about you. This will give you a good idea of how you appear to others online.

If there are items online that are not flattering, you can contact the web page's controller to try to have it taken off

Getting rid of negative material can be difficult. It is easier to create positive content about yourself and post it. The more positive content you post, the more likely that it is going to be pushed to the top search engines — and it's also more likely to be read than older information pushed to the second or third page of a search.

3. Build relationships.

Scour the web to find out if there are people at companies you want to work for, or in your career path and above you in level, who have blogs. Get to know their blog and start networking with them. Post a positive comment on their site to start a conversation with them. You can also reference a book or speech they gave in your own blog or site — it is likely that the person is monitoring their blog and will respond to you.

Use social media sites, such as LinkedIn, to help you connect to a network of hundreds of people with similar professional interests and skills.

Use MySpace and Facebook to your advantage. Censor any risqué photos, delete all information that a potential employer may deem unprofessional and leverage your virtual network of friends to help you land a job. Post a bulletin to all your friends about your job search. The bulletin goes to your entire network of friends who can subsequently let you know of openings at their companies.

Online job search tips for savvy job hunters.

1. Be cautious of turning over your personal information.

There are a number of bogus job search sites out there that are exploiting personal information for illegal uses. Beware of sites that don't name the people behind them, do not offer contact information, or that have an inadequate privacy policy (or none at all).

2. Use a separate email for job searching; not a personal one that says too much about you.

For example, coreyrocks@killerbands.com isn't appropriate, whereas csmith@hotmail.com is.

3. Beat a potential employer to the punch.

You know there is a chance a potential employer will check up on your social media sites. Add information to your sites and blogs about your work experience and volunteer work in order to help highlight your achievements.

4. Use the Internet to your advantage.

Go online and research a potential employer as well as the people who are interviewing you. It's important to go to an interview knowing the background of the company and the individuals with and for whom you may be working.

5. Pick and choose the social media sites you join.
When joining a networking site as a means to find a potential career opportunity, seek out and find the ones most fitting to your career plans.

6. Populate your resume with words and phrases that are most commonly used in your profession.

With the growth of online job boards, electronic resume submission is more prevalent — leading to an increase of electronic resume review by employers. Sometimes when important words and phrases are missing from a resume, the electronic screening program will not pick up a potentially worthwhile candidate and you won't get a call for an interview.

7. Don't conduct your job search at your current employer's expense.

Many companies monitor computer use and email and will know if you are job searching on their dime.

For more information on improving your job search, or to hear about our job opportunities, please contact your local Ajilon Consulting representative today.