Back in the day, job-seekers looked for open positions in the classified ads section of the local newspaper. It’s one measure of the seismic changes in the recruiting process that such concepts as “classified ads” and “local newspaper” have lost most of their meaning in today’s world. What else has changed in the recruiting process?
Job Alerts and Social Networking
Gone are the days when job-seekers had to search among hundreds of non-related openings in order to find what they were looking for. Now it’s easy to set up a job alert on a smartphone and be among the first to hear when an employer of choice offers a new position you know you’re interested in pursuing.
And while it’s still very helpful to attend conferences and networking events, thanks to the unlimited possibilities of social media, job-seekers can expand their network from the comfort of their own home (or coffee house). Online networks like LinkedIn offer many opportunities to expand one’s professional network, either by staying in touch with established contacts or leveraging one’s network to reach others they might not otherwise have any hope of reaching. Other vastly popular sites, including Facebook and Twitter, are also great for building professional relationships.
Advantages for Employers
Social media has vastly improved the recruiting process for employers as well. Just as job-seekers can gather information from a company website, recruiters can investigate promising candidates by checking out their LinkedIn profile, Facebook postings and Twitter activity. That’s why individuals looking for a job should always maintain a professional online presence; remember, anything you post on the Web is there for all to see.
A fairly recent digital innovation for employers is use of syndicated display advertising technologies, with the goal of placing job postings in front of more candidates. Ads targeting specific audiences are generated automatically and distributed among a vast array of websites, many of which are not directly related to recruitment. The resulting success of this approach has saved employers from spending significant sums of money designing ad campaigns and purchasing media time and space.
Many employers now offer job-seeking apps for smartphones, enabling them to stay in touch with job candidates. In many ways, it’s a perfect fit for tech-savvy men and women looking for opportunities with innovative and forward-thinking companies.
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