A recent Jobvite survey showed 89% of employers will use social media for recruiting this year. For those currently using social media, 64% said they had hired people through a social network. John Zappe, ere.net provides an exceptionally informative article, More Employers Than Ever Recruit On Social Network elaborating on data from the Jobvite survey and Pew Research Centre report on social networking sites and our lives.
Today’s job search couldn’t be more different than it was just a few years ago so if you’re new to the scene be prepared for a huge learning curve! For many it may seem overwhelming but don’t use the excuse that you’re too old to change because over half of all social media users are over 35 years old! Most fears surrounding social media are unfounded and further research shows Facebook users are more trusting, get more social support, have closer relationships and are more politically engaged. You may also be surprised to know that only 7% of Facebook friends are people users have not met before and only 3% are people they have only met one time.
If you are managing a career it may not be a prudent choice to ignore Facebook with 700 million users or Twitter with over 200 million users but without a Linkedin profile, currently with over 100 million users you are guaranteed to limit your job search success.
