Online Social Networking

Is recruiting through social networking advantageous? Likewise, is it a tool to utilize for the job seeker? Technology is changing each and every day and the number of online social networks is increasing just as quickly. Companies are starting to hire positions in order to keep up communications in this area of online recruiting.

One of the top sites in the world is facebook.com. This site allows you to create a page with a profile, pictures, video, and well you name it. Everything from polls to favorite things are among the list of "applications" you can add to personalize your facebook page. Along with personal pages, a user can also create a group, a business/company page, blogs, and again the list goes on and on.

In addition to facebook, myspace.com is another site that is very similar. Linkedin.com is a site that is used for more professional networking purposes. Being that it is a more professional social network site, there are fewer bells and whistles. However, what is provided is really all that is needed for the site's purpose.

These are the three main sites used by most companies. Granted, there a lot more. From a recruiting standpoint, these are great tools to use for marketing and branding, connecting with your target audience, researching the competition, and the greatest thing is that they are free to use! Why not take advantage, after all, everyone is doing it!

From a job seeker's standpoint: how best to use these social networks to land your next job. The companies that are using these sites are creating a direct form of communication - in the language of today's generation which is very technology savvy. A job seeker can find job openings on company pages as well as company culture, discussion boards, etc. Companies may also have recruiters available to chat online so job seekers can ask questions and get answers on the spot.

Linkedin.com is a great tool for the job seeker. You create a profile which is a essentially a summarized resume. Once you build your network, you are connected to not only your friends but also their friends and the network is consistently expanding. Again, many companies will have profiles and this is a great way to connect to recruiting managers at companies and to find out more about the company itself.

These networking sites are supplements to the company website and are simply another tool to take advantage of in recruiting or job searching.