2011 has come and gone and now there's lots of buzz (well it's not really that new) about social media being the next big thing when it comes to graduate jobs. LinkedIn this, ZoomInfo that, Jigsaw me, Google it and of course Tweet, Tweet and Tweet away. You should know this by now, if you don't then mother hen (also known as reality and commercial awareness all in one) is frowning at you. But even though you know it, do you believe it? If you don't, you should.
Here's exhibit A: Meet Hanna Phan. Before jumping on the bandwagon of social media, Hanna like many students out there today adopted the traditional approach to finding a job. Online here, online there, send my CV and cover letter everywhere. Three months later, her job search had moved nowhere. That's no fun right? So, Hanna thought hard and eventually bought an express ticket to the social media jumbo jet. She thought about her skills, about the career path these skills were suited for and then the companies that were looking for such skills. After a little bit of this and a little bit of that, she ended up at a tech firm producing an up and coming online presentation platform. Now instead of jumping the gun and sending a CV to Mr Recruiter X, Hanna took the unconventional approach of locating the CEO's Twitter 'handle' and Tweeted her newly created presentation directly to him. She was hired a week later.
Now you may be sitting there thinking this is just a one-off event. It's not. I could quite easily fill your brains with dozens of examples like these but well that would just be rather redundant now wouldn't it? The message is this, if you want recruiters to think of you as a unique candidate, then be unique, if you want employers to think of you as that someone who does things differently, then try being unconventional, if you want companies to know that you're willing to go the extra mile, then start walking. Social media is an avenue worth exploring.
Charles, GRB Journalist
