The use of social media in job-seekers

I am very interested in the rising use of social media, especially for a job platforming tool. I have gotten one of my internships through Twitter and networking and I’m wondering if, and how many, others are doing the same.  Some of the research questions I’ve thought of are: How many job-hopefuls are utilizing social media to enhance their employment opportunities/reaching out to businesses and future employers? Are job seekers using their social media outlets as a marketing tool for themselves? Are job seekers aware that many businesses are doing background checks on their future employees while in the hiring process on their social networking sites?

The audience for this research is going to be recent college graduates or college students that are looking for employment after university. So basically, how do these students or former students utilize social media.

1.  Marquardt, Frank . "5 Key Tips for a Successful Social Media Content Strategy." (2011): n. pag. Web. 10 Feb 2011. <http://mashable.com/2011/01/10/social-content-strategy/>.

In this article, the author states five ways to market yourself using social media. One of the strategies mentioned for having a successful social networking site is to know your audience and communicate effectively toward them.  The author states to not stray from what’s working for you. He gives the example of the Skittles brand. Their Facebook page is very friendly, and they have built up an audience by using this tactic. This article is relevant to my research because it provides strategies toward having an effective social networking site.

2.  Gilbert, Eric, and Karrie Karahalios. "Predicting tie strength with social media." CHI 2009, 06 April 2009. Web. 10 Feb 2011. <http://delivery.acm.org.ezproxy.mnsu.edu/10.1145/1520000/1518736/p211-gilbert.pdf?key1=1518736&key2=1392377921&coll=DL&dl=ACM&CFID=9961025&CFTOKEN=56026792>.

This article is a report written by two people at the University of Illinois. This document focuses on how social media users communicate with people they don’t know on the Internet. This is relevant to my research because I’m looking to see if those seeking jobs are communicating with their hopeful future place of employment. There is a good chance they won’t know the person before hand so making sure you are business-like is very important.