As we battle one of the toughest job markets ever and with grossly high unemployment rates, most college grads are now having to compete with an entire pool of talent out there looking to land a gig – some with years of experience and tenure already under their belt.
For this reason, it’s important that graduates get smart about their job searching and put modern technology to good use.
The perfect place to start: Facebook (News - Alert). Yes, the same site you were thinking of blocking and hiding from your employer is actually going to be one of the main sources for landing a possible career.
According to a recent survey from Jobscience Inc. and Research Now, the social media site is increasing in prominence for social network recruiting, trailing just behind LinkedIn (News - Alert).
Thirty-Six percent of U.S. corporations who responded to the online survey said they plan to use Facebook more for recruiting this year than last - with almost 60 percent agreeing that this form of social recruiting is the next 'big thing' in recruiting strategies.
For businesses, using social networks as a way to engage with potential hires, prior to any job offerings, provides the chance for them to communicate and build their talent pool.
"Using social networks to find candidates for current job openings has become a common strategy for recruiters," said Ted Elliott, CEO and founder of Jobscience. "But the real value of social recruiting is when companies continually engage with people through social networking -- so when an appropriate job opens up -- the person is familiar with the company and has a propensity to want to work there. It's about social sourcing and building pipelines of talent -- so your talent pool never runs dry."
Even though this may mean job seekers have to revamp their Facebook pages and make them friendly for the potential employer, it doesn’t mean companies are off the hook either. Before potential hires even express interest to work at locations, they are using this same social network to research companies and build their own opinion and decisions on whether or not they even want to work with the company.
This, Elliott said, means companies will need to step up their game if they want to pull in the top talent including putting together a strategy for their employment brand by monitoring how their brand is perceived across social networks and engaging with social network users while also presenting appeal and benefits as to why someone should want to work with the company.
College grads fresh off the stage accepting your diploma, take heed. You will need an arsenal to navigate the rocky job market, and Facebook may be your best bet.