If this isn’t a real sign that the times are really changing, then I don’t know what is. Some investment firms are now asking you for your “web presence” on social websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or your personal blog, instead of a traditional resume, either submitted online or on a desk. The reason being for this, is that they are more interested “in what people are like, what they are like to work with, how they think”, says Christina Cacioppo, an associate and Union Square Ventures, who blogs about this very type of thing.
Now, for someone like me, this type of evolution in the hiring process would, without question, make me alter where I post content, what kind of content, and how frequently I do so. In fact, there’s quite a few people I know who would be immediately tossed away to the side as a potential employee, based solely on the type of content they post online to social networks. Scary, eh?
Not only that, but it absolutely could potentially help with streamlining the process of on-boarding a new employee. For example, if a company looked over the blog content and Facebook page of an applicant for an analyst position at an investment firm, and found that the person frequently posted thoughtful and relevant updates and/or thoughts about how different companies’ stocks are rising and falling, which stocks would be the best to buy, and when and why to do so, it would immediately catch the employer’s eye. They aren’t looking for that Average Joe who just needs a job; they’re seeking out the best possible analyst whose skills would undoubtedly help the firm reach its potential and sustain a competitive advantage.
That exact model would work across nearly every industry and every unfilled position. Is Best Buy looking for someone new to be a part of the Geek Squad team? They’d browse over their online presence to see how much that person posts about computers, viruses, diagnosis, repairs, new system builds, etc. This new potential “screening”
process, if you will, could be just what companies and corporations need to effectively fill their vacant positions with the best possible candidate. This is the future of employment.
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