I recently wrote about how some companies now use social media platforms, not just as a supplement to the resume, but how in some limited cases, as an actual replacement for it. There is no doubt about it: technology continues to change the way a job search is conducted and we must all be up to snuff with the times or get left behind.
Huffington Post writer Josh Tolan lays it out clearly in his recent article “4 Ways Technology Is Changing the Job Search.” The days of fancy paper printed resumes and face-to-face sit-down interviews is evolving into candidates “applying for jobs from their phones, connecting with employers over Twitter, and developing campaigns in order to snag their dream jobs,” he says. Interestingly enough, he also interacts with the same USA Today article that I had referenced in my article, addressing tweets and the possible future of the resume. It only makes sense, he concludes, since “tons of companies are using Twitter to publicize their job postings with links to their career site and relevant hashtags. Why shouldn't job seekers do the same with their credentials?”
Even the face-to-face interview is changing as the video possibilities are more suitable these days, with about 6 in 10 companies using this video technology more often than it had just a few years ago, as reports Allison Linn of Today. While a face-to-face will likely still occur, the video interview is often used as an early step of the process as a screening tool to narrow down the numbers quickly. “Experts say there are good reasons for doing the video interview: They’re easy, cheaper than flying someone in and may give the recruiter a better sense of the potential employee than a regular phone call,” states Linn. In the end, it saves everyone time and you can expect this tool to be used even more frequently in the future.
Similar to the live video interview, the mobile interview is a growing trend. This is more of an interactive way to interview than a live video interview. Employers do a one-way video questionnaire that the applicant can then submit a response to via video, even from their mobile devices and through special apps.
So, while this type of technology is continually changing the hiring process for almost everyone searching for a job, it is most important to have the awareness for those in the tech field. You are expected to be more up to speed with technological avenues like these, so make sure you are. Depending on the field you are in, you may start finding more and more creative aspects to the interview process also. Knowing how to best leverage new technology to complete a given task is a way to show an employer you have the creativity and innovation skills that can set you apart from the other applicants. Because, as Tolan notes, “In today's war for talent, you can't afford to let great people who grasp how to leverage technology end up in your competition's cubicles. So look out for these new technological tools and embrace new ways of connecting with candidates.”
Image courtesy of Digitalart - Freedigitalphotos.net
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