EOC Week 5 : Social Networks and Job Hunting

After the reading the posting about how job recruiters are now using the FaceBook website to find new employee’s, I can’t say I didn’t predict this years ago.  Companies have been third party websites to promote themselves and recruit new workers for years.  The only thing that was left was using a third party website that everyone knows about and is completely comfortable navigating with.  FaceBook is not only just a website.  FaceBook is a lifestyle, and an every-day thing.  People who use that website have built a strong relationship with it and feel a sense of comfort ability and reliability from using it.  It is true that the idea started with LinkedIn, that website is more designed for professionals and people who “want” to seek employment through their attributions alone.  When people create a LinkedIn profile, they don’t create it to “chat” it up with their drunken college buddies, they do it because they want to have a web space to showcase their talents as a professional.  FaceBook might run into that problem, because people don’t really use that site for “professionalism”, they use it for personal uses.  A lot of companies that are hiring might not want to hire someone that posts updates with profanity and offensive terms, or someone posting pictures that really aren’t too professional, or legal at that.  The question isn’t “is this a good idea”, it’s; “how well will this idea work?”.  I believe that in regards to professionalism, job recruitment should keep its eye on LinkedIn, and develop a stronger fan base with that site first, since people who create it don’t do it to post random nonsense.  However, of course FaceBook is going to give job postings a try on their website, when in all actuality it is just another way to make money, right?  There is no doubt that FaceBook allowing employers to recruit employees on their website is going to be a ball curve in the game.  Like web strategy manager said, “Candidates have been 50% more likely to apply to positions they found through Facebook than through other means, this is much more efficient and targeted.”