Mega-trend of 2012: Facebook is The New Professional Hub Online

When Facebook was first launched in 2004, it was hard for anyone to imagine that it grow beyond its initial college audience. Now over 850 million people of all ages use Facebook, most logging in at least once a day. In recent years, Facebook was viewed as the “fun” social network, a place to play games and share personal photos. New reports show that Facebook has grown up, and is rapidly becoming the hub for professional activity.

18.4 million Americans credit Facebook for their current job according to the latest report by JobVite. This is nearly twice the number, who say they found their current job on LinkedIn. This makes sense based on the scale of Facebook, which has ten times the number of monthly users as LinkedIn. But other factors are important to highlight. One is the diversity of job seekers and job opportunities found on Facebook. LinkedIn has executive-level jobs for the top 10% of the workforce. These high-level jobs can be found on Facebook. The difference is that Facebook also has jobs for the other 90% of the workforce: military, nursing, temporary, retail, hospitality, and entry level jobs. These positions, and the people who can fill them, are rarely on LinkedIn, but they are all on Facebook. BranchOut operates the largest job board on Facebook with over 3 million listings, and BranchOut has millions of users globally, so we see this important difference on a daily basis.

Facebook is also becoming the professional hub because it’s where recruiters go to screen candidates. 91% of recruiters review job seekers’ social media profiles during the hiring process. 76% of those report checking Facebook, compared to 48% using LinkedIn. In 2012, online identity will be more important than ever. As job seekers recognize the importance of their Facebook presence, they will both clean up their personal Facebook profiles and create professional BranchOut profiles, which don’t include any personal information, like photo albums or videos.

The trend of Facebook being used for professional reasons will continue to grow as mobile internet usages increases. 77% of job seekers are already using mobile apps in their search. Much of this is on professional-oriented apps, like BranchOut’s mobile site (m.branchout.com), but a lot is on Facebook’s mobile application. 350 million Facebook users log in with their mobile devices. They can view company Facebook pages, message their friends about their careers, and view professional-related content.

Many companies have realized that Facebook is the platform on which to recruit talent. Some are just getting started. As more data is released on the increasing trend of Facebook being a both personal and professional platform, all companies that wish to compete in the global marketplace will invest in Facebook recruiting.
 

5 months ago  /  4 notes

How I Hire: The 4 Secrets to Building a World-Class Team

Everyone knows that if you want your company to be successful, you have to build a world-class team. The problem is, most people don’t know how to do it. There are many clichés that contain truth, like “hire slow, fire fast.” But how can you really know if you’re hiring top notch talent?

When I’m interviewing, there are four characteristics that I always look for to ensure I hire the best people and maintain an excellent company culture.

• Intelligence – In agricultural and industrial economies physical strength is key. In the post-industrial, information economy that most of us live in today, intelligence is the crucial element to look for. At BranchOut we always hire the smartest people we know. We look for teammates who are problem solvers, have great ideas, and are able to articulate those ideas clearly.

• Entrepreneurialism – Fast-growing and innovative companies cannot be burdened with time-intensive training programs or micromanaging. Great teammates know what they need to achieve and they take the initiative to get the job done. They are also willing to put in long hours when required to do so.

• Integrity – Trust is the glue that holds a team together. If there is someone on your team whose values are not in line with those of the company and founding team, troubles may follow. At BranchOut we always look for people who have high integrity. You need to be able to trust that if someone says they are going to do something they will honor their word and get it done.

• Fun – Many of us spend the majority of our waking hours at work, so why not have fun? Teams thrive when everyone enjoys spending time together. In the BranchOut office we are constantly laughing and having fun. If you are an employer and want to create a great culture, the best way to do that is to hire people with great personalities. If you’re a job seeker, make sure you let your personality show through in interviews and your communications.

These four characteristics have worked well for me over the past 12 years of building companies and forming great teams. Whether your hiring top talent or looking to join a new company, remember to check for intelligence, entrepreneurialism, integrity, and fun.

5 months ago  /  21 notes