The term social networking does not bring to mind powerful men and women dressed in their best attire. In fact, it would be hard to imagine the head of a large cooperation sitting at a desk “Facebooking” his employees. However, this is the current trend. What was once used as a way to keep up on friends and family or find a “hot date,” is now being used to find and create stronger jobs. These new business networking websites are not only used for easily finding and obtaining jobs, but are also tools to allow colleagues to keep in touch with each other. However, a question remains to be answered; are social networks going to all become focused on business?
Many report social networking as having a negative impact on the workplace, but this is not always true. Of course, if a person has inappropriate content on a website like Facebook or Myspace, the opportunity for him or her to get a job will be hindered if the profiles on those sites are discovered. However, if one takes a different approach, he or she may find rewarding results. Maintaining a clean, polished profile on a social networking site could help land a job according to David Lagesse in his article, “How to Turn Social Networking into a Job Offer”. In this article, Lagesse outlines specific steps, almost manipulative in nature, which people should follow once they create an account on a social networking website. Lagesse explains that people should fill out the sections about themselves with qualifications that an employer would like, but to do this without boasting. People should also look for those who work within the company that they would like to work for, learn information about their future boss, and learn more about the company they would like to work.
These are very logical steps to take as the World Wide Web is growing ever stronger. People often forget that employers have the ability to look on social networking websites to see the true colors of a potential employee. In a way, social networking websites act as another background check. Sure, one may not have broken any civil laws, but that person’s character may not be the best. This is where social networks become helpful for companies looking to hire. They can check to see who a potential employee associates with, how he interacts with others, and if he would be an all around good pick for a position. With this in mind, it would make sense to have a very professional profile online. Although this is not the case for everyone, there are some people who dedicate their social networks to the working world. Peter Weddle, in his article “Will Social Networking Get You a Job?”, refers to this as “e-networking” or “employment networking.”
The people who are involved in “e-networking” do not focus purely on the social aspects of online networking, but attempt to find ways to expand their career base. This does not mean that they do not have any social interactions online, but instead of simply chatting with friends and family, “e-networkers” look for business contacts to socially interact with. This includes former colleagues, bosses, and recruiters. One has to keep up their network profiles, share contacts, and share knowledge in order to show employers that he or she is qualified for the job.
“E-networking” has not gone unnoticed, and cannot escape the realm of the online world. There are now entire websites devoted to social networking with a focus on obtaining a job. According to Dan Schawbel in “Expanding Your Professional Network”, “People conduct job interviews-job boards don’t.” Schawbel is referring to the popular online job boards like Monster and Snag a Job. On these sites there is not enough interaction to help one climb the social network ladder. Because of this, business networks are growing at a rapid pace. One of these networks, LinkedIn.com, had eight million members in 2006 from a variety of business backgrounds and has grown to its current state of one hundred million members (according to the site).
LinkedIn was formed in December 2002, and put to use in May 2003. According to the LinkedIn website:
LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals.
LinkedIn provides a new way for people to search for the job that they have always wanted. Not only can members find jobs in the United States, but internationally as well. Half of the employers on LinkedIn are from countries other than the United States. The jobs on LinkedIn are not only retail or other part-time positions. They are actual careers. As the LinkedIn website states, “Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.”
LinkedIn also seemingly takes the work out of job hunting. Once a person creates his profile, and states what type of career that he is looking for, he is done. Instead of searching for the employer, employers search for potential employees. According to an article by Alison Doyle entitled “LinkedIn Job Search,” “LinkedIn is where companies want to be when they are hiring.” Employers look at activity of the members on LinkedIn and decide who they would like to contact.
Although the employers do most of the searching, members of the website should still try to make themselves look good. People on the website should look for as many contacts as they can and learn about them. In Lagesse’s aforementioned article, he explains that people on LinkedIn should also participate in the discussions pertaining to their field. Many employers look at these to see how qualified people are in their field of work.
LinkedIn is a very popular business networking site, but is not the only one. Many other websites of the same construction have come into use. These websites include Spoke, Jigsaw, Ryze, and a large number of others. These sites are not quite as popular as LinkedIn, but work the same way. They also have the same mentality; business networking needs to be its own breed of networking.
In her article, “The Social Network as a Career Safety Net,” Sarah Jane Tribble, addresses how mixing social networking with business affairs can be risky. In the article Tribble says, “Keep the social separate from the networking.” There are business focused groups on Facebook, but it is not the same as a site such as LinkedIn. As Tribble’s article explains, “The social ease of Facebook makes it easy to look frivolous.” One can even connect his or her LinkedIn profile to his Facebook profile. However, this must be done carefully. Where LinkedIn is simple and business focused, Facebook is not. One little comment that seems inappropriate on Facebook could cost someone a job opportunity.
Social networking is an up and coming trend that has experienced many changes. For example, Facebook was once a website primarily for college students but now has most of its members in the twenty-five year old and older range. This is the age when most people are looking for a lasting career. Does this mean that social networking will turn into business networking, or will they become separate entities? Only the future holds the answer. So I guess it’s time to put down the classified ads and boot up the computer.
Amanda Maxwell - Junior Honors student at Malone University majoring in Psychology. Has won awards for speech and debate as well as published poems.
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