Apply online: Job hunting goes social

MANILA, Philippines—Working on an island resort “in a most beautiful place” was far from Kiali-i Chaluyan’s mind when she updated her resume on LinkedIn.com, a social networking site for job seekers and employers, in mid-2012.

Chaluyan, 28, a journalism graduate of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, had been working for some years in Manila when certain unfavorable events occurred. Instead of getting depressed, Chaluyan decided to revive her dormant LinkedIn account.

Chaluyan, an avowed “beach person,” was bowled over by the first message she got.

“It was an invitation to apply to the Maldives from the Filipino communications manager of a resort run by a well-known Thai hotel chain. This was heaven for me,” she said.

“I sent my CV (curriculum vitae), was interviewed twice over the phone and signed the contract in  a week,” said Chaluyan in an interview conducted online from where she is now ensconced—a resort in the renowned vacation hideaway for the wealthy, the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

Dream job found

Like Chaluyan, Patricia Denise Chiu found her dream job via the Internet. In Chiu’s case, the social networking site Facebook was the matchmaker.

Fresh out of college in 2012, Chiu applied for her first job the old-fashioned way. She left an envelope with her application letter and CV in the drop box outside the main gate of the GMA-7 television network.

“It was basically a cover letter asking for a job, with my CV as attachment,” she explained.

“I waited but nothing happened. So I decided to send Howie Severino, the editor in chief of GMA News Online, a private message (PM) on Facebook,” Chiu said.

In the message to Severino, Chiu talked about her experience working with campus publications, her internship with Reuters and her desire to “enhance the skills gained within the university while working in an environment that will allow me to see journalism in action.”

Severino responded to her PM by asking her to e-mail samples of her writing. He also asked her to answer a questionnaire on why she wanted to join GMA.

Hours after the first exchange of emails, Severino told Chiu that the GMA’s human resources (HR) department would contact her for an interview and exam.

The next day, Chiu was at Severino’s office for a 30-minute chat about the state of journalism and a possible career for Chiu with GMA.

“It didn’t really feel like a job interview,” she recalled. Severino also introduced Chiu to the other editors before leading her to the human resources department for the exam.

A week later, Chiu started work as a news producer for GMA News Online.

Changing job hunting styles

Thirty years ago, fresh college graduates went hunting for their first jobs by scanning the newspapers’ classified ads section, typing out application letters and CVs on a typewriter, and sending these through the post office, special delivery. The awaited response came by post, telegram or telephone call.

Twenty years ago, they were encoding application letters and CVs on a white-screened personal computer and sending these by fax or post. The responses came either by phone, pager and, in some cases, by text.

Ten years ago, they searched for jobs from newspapers’ classified ads and some websites, and sent their application letters by e-mail or fax. The awaited responses came either by e-mail or text, and post.

Today, job seekers like Chaluyan and Chiu are finding their career match in social networking sites or social media. Or, just plain “social.”

Job market sites

Jobmarket sites like JobsDB.com, Jobstreet.com.ph and Jobmarketonline.com of the Inquirer Group of Companies are updated daily with the latest openings from hundreds of companies and organizations in the country.

Just as fast as the sites are updated, job seekers sift through thousands of job openings that would fit their specific qualifications.

There are certain steps to follow, though.

In the Inquirer’s jobmarketonline.com, a job seeker must first sign up before he or she can log in and scan the job offerings. A 24/7 online service, jobmarketonline.com can also be viewed via Twitter:

@Jobmarket_PDI.

With an account, a job seeker can sift through thousands of job openings, narrow down job offers by industry, region, income and other factors; submit resumes directly to companies and recruiters; and be updated on new job openings in specific fields in the future.

To date, the Inquirer’s jobmarketonline.com has registered a total of 13,446 job seekers and more than 700 employers.

The top 10 most searched industry/job categories in the website are NGO (nongovernment organization) or nonprofit, social services, administration HR, accounting, education, information technology (IT), administration (clerical), nurse or medical support, government and management.

Direct and personal

Job seeking, in the case of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, is a more direct and personal matter.

Chaluyan said her Maldives employment came by accident but her account in LinkedIn was not.

She said her LinkedIn profile had been well-studied and planned. She made sure to “highlight” her strength and achievements “to make myself marketable,” she said.

For today’s fresh graduates, Chaluyan shared the following tips:

Highlight your achievements in school, participation in extracurricular activities and leadership positions held, if any.

Put a decent smiling picture.

Check your account from time to time and respond to invitations to apply, even if you have no intention of applying.

Keep your account updated and actively join groups involving your profession.