Tell Me About Yourself: Personal Branding and Social Media Recruiting in the Brave New Online World

The rules of recruitment and job searching have undoubtedly changed, as a new breed of concept workers enters the global workforce. Today, we are witnessing the emergence of a non-age specific generation of professionals, who are exposed to ubiquitous digital technology and constantly seek for a better job, life, and future. Some call them Generation X, Gen Y, Millennials, or Digital Natives. This book introduces the term Social Natives to explain why these people are different. They think and share bits of information in a rapid pace; they are parallel processing projects, and they are highly multitasking. They live on their phones and mainly interact through social media. They are in favor of graphics than text, prefer to read on mobile devices, get the news through their timelines, and function better when they join networks. Social Natives are now looking for a job. And they are searching in ways very different from what people used to do five years ago. The fast-paced social recruiting environment is defined by social networking sites and applications such as LinkedIn, Facebook, BranchOut, Twitter Jobs, Viadeo, XING, Bayt, and Google+, as well as blogs, podcasts, online resumés, video resumés, images, shelfies, recommendations, endorsements, etc. They all facilitate the selection of job candidates via digital tools, such as integrating intelligent software applications (ISA) in the web-based talent search, using online tests and screening through the candidates'’ online profiles on social media to establish a relationship with prospective employees. The breadth and depth of information increases as new tools and platforms are embraced by modern HR managers and recruiters. This book will help you understand how social media in professional recruitment works. It will also encourage you to contemplate the social and psychological implications of this new method of professional career development. Finally, this book examines social nativity as a social phenomenon and presents the latest trends on career development and social recruiting. Who are these social natives? How do they look for a job? How will they stand out from the crowd? How will they promote their personal brand online? What pitfalls to avoid? What does the future of recruitment look like? Let's find out.