3 On Your Side: Job Seekers Turning To Social Media To Get Noticed By Employers
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Selfies are all the rage on social media, but would you ever think that a selfie could help land you a job? 3 On Your Side consumer reporter Jim Donovan finds, job seekers are now connecting with potential employers in a variety of innovative ways.
For Max Walker, getting an interview for an internship at an advertising agency was as easy as sending a snap.
"I found that they were doing this snapchat campaign, and it just caught my eye. It was a creative way to express myself and apply to a position," said Walker.
And having applicants express themselves is exactly what Sherri Anne Green of LMO Advertising was looking for when she set up the campaign to recruit interns.
"Snapchat really gave us an impression of people's personalities and how they would engage with social media really early in the recruitment process," said Green.
Today, applicants are going beyond the typical written resume and cover letter, getting noticed on social media with snapchat or by sending creative multimedia tweets to hiring managers.
There are also taped video responses to interview questions, and video cover letters. Something companies like Zappos encourage.
"No one can say my resume represents who I am. So that's when it comes into video and other cool tools that empower people to tell their story," said Hirevue founder Mark Newman.
Hirevue is a platform that lets companies have applicants complete video interviews.
"We're seeing massive adoption increases of almost 10x year over year. We're seeing organizations around the world using us for any type of role we could ever imagine," said Newman.
Experts point out video can give candidates whose resumes and previous experience might not be a perfect fit a shot at the job.
In fact these new recruiting tools are good for companies too.
"It gives us a more efficient, more effective and maybe a cost effective way of expanding our applicant pool," said Elissa O'Brien with the Society for Human Resource Management.
While some companies may use these tools to target millennials, it's important for all job seekers to get on board.
"In order for you to get noticed and be seen as an innovator you have to embrace the technology that is really out there," said O'Brien.
If you're thinking of turning to one of these non-traditional routes to get noticed, Mark Newman of Hirevue says be sure to be yourself when you tell your story.
