Social Media Top Source For Jobs

Social networking sites have become the most fashionable destinations for internet users in the past several years. In fact, over the past year, both Twitter and YouTube celebrated just five years of existence and are already soaring in worldwide popularity. As a result, business owners have flocked to social networking sites such as Facebook to promote their companies.

And according to recent reports, the trend is growing. So much so that social networking sites are now becoming a top choice for would-be employees to find work. A QMI Agency report released yesterday announced that LinkedIn is starting to outdo newspapers as the primary spot for recent graduates seeking jobs.

A joint survey between I Love Rewards and Experience Inc. found that 28 per cent of people who are searching for employment head first to the social networking site. This is quite the jump from the 7 per cent of respondents in 2007 who said that they would use the site to find work once they graduate.

According to the survey: “Savvy members of this generation are using LinkedIn as a method of networking and exploring companies they are interested in.” QMI goes on to report that still, over 87 per cent of respondents say that they apply directly to the companies they are looking to work for.

The more telling number, however, is that just 28 per cent of those who took the survey say that they apply for work through newspaper ads. This is a whopping 34 per cent decrease from just a year ago. Evidently, the power of the internet continues to grow, and moreover, social networking sites are proving dominant in the online world.

Writes QMI: “The study found many employers are focusing more on online recruiting and spending less time recruiting on campuses or at career fairs. The study says the shift means employers need to spend more time branding themselves — particularly through social media — to the emerging workforce.”

Social networking sites seem to be taking over in a variety of ways. From becoming a number one source to connect with friends to being a chief means of business promotion to serving as a main destination to find employment, it appears as if there is no stopping social media.