Thursday, May 19, 2011

Looking for a Job? Try Linkedin


We all know that looking for a job is a much different process than it was ten years ago.  No longer do you just pick up your local paper to see whats open and send a resume.  Now you have to check numerous job boards, have various different file types of your resume, and fill out additional online applications to companies you often times don't even know the name of.  Well all that may be changing again.  Accolo, Inc has released the numbers and it appears that Linkedin and social networking sites like it are about to become the leader in new hires.  Linkedin alone has grown by over 466 percent in the last quarter.  Although it has been suspected that social networking sites have changed the landscape of recruiting this is the first empirical proof we have had.

Why the switch?  We can only speculate however social networking sites offer some advantages that traditional recruitment methods may not.  For one they make the referral process considerably quicker and easier for both applicants and employers and they are able to reach a much broader audience than they once were able to.  They also give an applicant a canvas on which to paint a much more vivid picture of who they are and what they about as an individual.  With this in mind companies and recruiters are better able to identify those that would be a good fit in the open positions and within their respective institutions.While in the past much emphasis has been put on skill set alone, ones "fit" with a company is equally as important because it is one of the greatest projectors of longevity and therefore return on the company's investment. 

Based on current trends, it is highly likely that social networks will surpass even the largest job boards as the primary source of hires within 36 to 48 months.  Start composing your profiles now.

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