Niche communities are in
People tend to network with people who they have something in common with, whether it is an industry, profession, or personal interest. By participating in online niche networking communities, job seekers may be able to find a decision maker faster. Here are a few examples.
Finbox is a community for Wall Street professionals to share information on financial services companies, jobs, and salaries. Members can connect directly with over 500,000 financial professionals, learn about different industry sectors, and post reviews about companies.
Bright Circles lets employees and past employees from leading companies and organizations stay in touch. Bright Circles is free for members and allows you to access the alumni network, build a profile page, stay in touch with former employers, create a personal on-line network buddy contact list, post to rumor boards, and use the network
to organize alumni networking events. Job seekers can set their profile so that past colleagues and potential employers can easily find them.
Affinity Circles provides exclusive social networks for established membership organizations seeking to promote exclusive networking opportunities among their members.
Living Social Living Social lets you catalog your interests, browse what your friends enjoy, and find others with the same interests as you. The communities include reading social, tune social, reel social, dining social, gaming social, and drinking social. Your account can be linked directly to Facebook, Hi5, Bebo, and other social networking
sites.
Contributed by Barbara Safani
Companies are rapidly turning to social media to source candidates—not just to screen them out.
Social media continues to be the “it” trend for job search: In a recent survey by Jobvite, 68% of employers in small to mid-size companies reported using social media sites to source candidates, with more saying they planned to start within the next year. Of those using social media, 80% are using LinkedIn—a clear sign that the site has become the de-facto go-to resource for professional networking.
Contributed by E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed., CPRW
Twitter is rapidly transforming the social media landscape.
LinkedIn and Facebook may be well established social media platforms, but Twitter has emerged on the scene as the “game changer.” With a unique opt-out approach to creating networks and sharing information, Twitter is the new darling of social media. More than 72% of users joined in the first five months of 2009, and traffic increased by 1170% in October alone. Serial entrepreneur and trendsetter Jeff Pulver says that the worldwide adoption of Twitter is “as big as the introduction of the telegraph and/or telephone in the 20th century.” Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore reports that more than 5 million Twitter messages, referred to as Tweets, are exchanged every day; 25 billion have been created since the site was founded.
Contributed by E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed., CPRW
Online applicant screening is alive and well.
In line with increased use among individuals, companies are also keeping pace with online presence. The New York Times reports that more than 45% of employers are actively using social media to screen applicants—with 35% ruling out candidates based on Facebook photos alone. The importance of monitoring online presence has become paramount—and is now just as important as having a typo-free resume.
Contributed by E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed., CPRW
New users of social media are all grown up.
Social media isn’t just for the millennial set; the fastest growing user population on Facebook is the 35+ set, and 59% of Twitter users are over 34.
Contributed by E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed., CPRW
There is a digital convergence in social media.
Through new agreements, system enhancements, and integration APIs (application programming interfaces), users can streamline applications and share content between sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter. Expect this trend to continue as emerging sites attempt to tap into the volume and reach of the current leaders.
Contributed by E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed., CPRW
Next up?
Expect companies to increasingly set policies on social media use for their own employees to follow as social media evolves. It’s been said of LinkedIn recommendations, “get them now from your colleagues—while you still can.”
Contributed by E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed., CPRW
