Utilizing social media as a means of employment
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/laid-off-how-and-why-to-tell-the-world-on-social-media_us_57bf095ce4b085c1ff28033b
With the slow growth in jobs in the US following the recent recession, it can be hard to find a job. However, rather than attend networking events, social media users have found their online social networking events to be advantageous in connecting them with new employment.
The article follows the story of Sree Sreenivasan, a chief digital officer at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. After being laid off, Sreenivasan announced the news on Facebook and Twitter. Within weeks, after 500 comments and 1,000 suggestions, he received a new job as New York City’s Chief Digital Officer.
While the traditional search for jobs involves attending career fairs, networking events, and online applications, social media has grown as a modern tool for employment. Graphic artists, musicians, photographers, etc. utilize social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as a means to spread their work. Other sites such as LinkedIn are emerging as a means of connecting people professionally.
In the past, the conventional networking methods only allowed for a small expansion of professional network. For example, at career fairs, there is a limited number of time students are able to speak to employers and a limited number of employers. However, social media now allows for an expansive network and links strangers together more effectively. Rather than six degrees of separation among strangers, social media closes the gap to about three or four degrees of separation, interconnecting people in a revolutionary way.