Hiring managers use social media in hiring process

June 10, 5:02 PM ·


From the Examiner

Hiring managers using LinkedIn

When looking for a new job, remember to utilize social media sites, especially LinkedIn. According to Jump Start Social Media, as many as 75% of hiring managers use LinkedIn on a regular basis to research candidates before making an offer, compared to 48% using FaceBook, and 26% using Twitter.

"Social
media is not only a great networking tool, it's also a way for
employers to perform reference checks on job candidates," said Veronica
Fielding, president of Digital Brand Expressions
and its social media service for consumers, Jump Start Social Media.
"Because LinkedIn is the most professionally oriented of the three, it
tends to attract hiring managers who are doing due diligence."

When it comes to sourcing job candidates, more hiring managers again prefer LinkedIn to Twitter and Facebook.
Of the hiring managers surveyed, 66% of hiring managers visit LinkedIn,
23% visit Facebook and 16% use Twitter to find job candidates to fill
openings.   To ensure that your personal
brand is professional, monitor what you post on social marketing sites.
Ms. Fielding reminds people,  "Whether or not you are job hunting, you
should be aware that your public profile is easily accessible so be
sure to maintain a professional personal brand." Social media sites can
enhance a candidate's position or be detrimental.   "Social
media tools offer hiring managers the ability to gain a broad picture
of an individual," says Rosina Racioppi, President of WOMEN Unlimited,
Inc. "I prefer LinkedIn because its focus is on business
connections and it allows you to see the professional beyond their
resume.  Utilizing social media tools enables hiring managers to assess
whether a candidate is an appropriate fit for their organization.  The experts at Jump Start Social Media offer these tips for using social media in the job-hunting process:

•  Become
  familiar with the popular social media sites so you can participate in
  important dialogues, including opportunities to network for jobs.


•  Start
  with one service, get comfortable with it, and branch out from there.
  The easiest, safest choice is LinkedIn because it has always been 100%
  business focused.


•  Share links to interesting news stories
  combined with a sentence of insight, and join groups (your alma mater,
  former employers, industry associations, etc.) in order to participate
  in online discussions with the other members.


•  Ask people in
  your network to introduce you to the people that they know. It's these
  dynamic group interactions that help shape perceptions of you and your
  business acumen. 


•  Make sure to finish your social media profiles and keep them updated.


•  If you are "tweeting" on Twitter, share links to stories, reports, interviews, etc. to which you add your insights.


•  Don't
  overlook Facebook's value as a way of keeping in touch and staying top
  of mind with the business connections you've made during your career. 

Bring it home: If
you don't already have a personal brand, start developing one. And by
all means, keep your social media sites in line with your personal
branding efforts. If you don't want certain people to know something,
don't post it for the whole world to see. Use good judment and common
sense at the minimum when posting information on your social media
pages. 

The Jump Start Social Media survey polled 100
hiring managers at small, mid-sized, and large companies. Polling was
done by Digital Brand Expressions and InterBiznet.

WOMEN Unlimited, Inc.
is a nationally recognized organization that cultivates leadership in
high-potential women through programs that companies sponsor for their
noteworthy female employees.

For more info about using social media in the job hunt, visit www.jumpstartsocialmedia.com or www.digitalbrandexpressions.com.