Congressman Moran's Jobs Boot Camp: Using Social Media to Find a Job

Dagny EvansJune 25, 2013

What’s Wrong with the Job Economy?

• Slow increases in employment/stagnating unemployment

• Unreasonable expectations?• Fictional jobs?• Skills gaps?

• Nonfarm employment increased in May by 175,000• The Q1 flattening of total open jobs however is likely to be felt in the

summer months since there’s a lag of about 2-3 months after a job is posted before it’s filled

“Hire Economics” by Lou Adler 6/12/13

• Jobs in the public market are filled by matching skills listed in the job posting with those found on the resume.

• Jobs in the hidden market are filled based on internal promotions, referrals and recommendations, with candidates being assessed on their past performance and future potential.“Hire Economics” by Lou Adler 6/12/13

The Road to Talent [Infographic]Hireright 2/25/13

http://bx.businessweek.com/social-media-job-hunting/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hireright.com%2Fblog%2F2013%2F02%2Fthe-road-to-talent-infographic-recruiting-war-for-talent-social-media-2%2F

“How Social Media Could Land your Next Job” Sam Laird 1/23/13

http://mashable.com/2013/01/23/social-media-your-next-job-infographic/

Do

• Figure out what your true skills are

• Target companies you want to work for

• Plenty of research• Spend more time

networking• Volunteer• Use tag cloud generators

to identify keywords from job descriptions

• Cultivate your online presence

• Customize where applicable (URLs, emails)

• Share things that interest you, relevant to who you are and what you do

• Be flexible• Think small business• Be generous • Google yourself

Don’t

• Spend more than 20% of time on job boards• Tell me what you had for breakfast• Send generic invitations or solicitations• Apply to jobs without doing your research• Let everyone know what you are doing on the

weekend – make sure privacy settings are tight• Accept everyone

TIME SPENT ON RESUMES, PROFILES AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Recruiters look at resumes and online profiles for an average 6 seconds before deciding if the

candidate is a potential fit.

“Little Time for Resumes” Lauren Weber

Job seekers spend an average of 49.7 seconds before deciding that a job

isn’t right for them, and an average of 76.7 seconds if they feel the posting

matches their interest and skills. They were only able to identify good fits at a

rate of 38%

“Why You Keep Applying for the Wrong Jobs” Vivian Giang 5/2/13

NARROW JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND SKILLS SHORTAGES

Like a replacement part, job requirements have very precise

specifications. Job candidates must fit them perfectly or the job won’t

be filled and business can’t operate.

Peter Cappelli’s Home Depot Syndrome Penn Gazzette Jan/Feb 2013

Narrowly drawn job criteria may be a sign that a company is ignoring possibilities for alternative, and

perhaps even more effective, operational strategies.

Trey Popp Penn Gazzette Jan/Feb 2013

In that Manpower survey, 11 percent of the employers reporting

skills shortages chalked it up to applicants unwilling to accept job offers at the wages companies are

willing to pay.

Trey Popp Penn Gazzette Jan/Feb 2013

75 percent of recruiters are required to do online research on candidates, and 70 percent report

they’ve passed on candidates because of information they found.

Brazen Careerist Jim Hopkinson 6/18/13

SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES

80% of jobs are found through networking.

Brazen Careerist Jim Hopkinson 6/18/13

A similar 20/20/60 job hunting strategy should be used by job-seekers. In this case 20% of the time responding to job postings by going through the back door rather than

applying through the front, another 20% ensuring your resume and LinkedIn profile are easy to find and worth reading, and the remaining 60% networking to find jobs in

the hidden market.

“Hire Economics” Lou Adler 6/12/13

The most successful job candidates…are “inventors and solution-finders,” who are

relentlessly “entrepreneurial” because they understand that many employers today don’t care about your resume,

degree or how you got your knowledge, but only what you can do and what you

can continuously reinvent yourself to do.

“How to Get a Job” Thomas L. Friedman 5/28/13