Twitter Into Employment
Social networking tools are now being used in innovative ways by the New York State Department of Labour to help address the increasing unemployment rate. Online networks such as Facebook and Twitter have been identified as ideal tools to get job news, tips, advice and messages out to the people of New York City. It is likely – given the size and strength of these online communities – that other government bodies around the world, including Australia, will look to implement similar campaigns. Now is a great time for jobseekers to consider strengthening their web presence and online image as a potential tool to help them become more accessible to recruiters and employers.
TWEET YOUR WAY TO A JOB
Facebook and Twitter, frequently used to send photos, conversation and friendship, are now “tools” of the New York State Department of Labour to reach unemployed New Yorkers find suitable jobs, as well as address the soaring unemployment rate of the city.
Patricia Smith, state labour commissioner, said the launch of a campaign to use social networking last month aims to reach out to unemployed workers and hear what has worked for them in their job searches.
“By tapping into these social-networking tools, we can potentially reach and help an even larger portion of our state’s unemployed population—immediately. And with a running dialogue between government and the people it serves, there is real potential to effect lasting, substantive change,’” Smith said.
In its September 2009 employment report, the State Department of Labour said the unemployment rate edged up to 9.8 percent from 9.7 percent in August, and the US economy shed 263,000 jobs in September. New York state’s unemployment rate on the other hand climbed from 8.6 percent in July to 9.0 percent in August 2009, its highest level since April 1983.
Statistics indicate the largest job losses were in construction, manufacturing, retail trade, publishing and government.
Smith said the Labour Department will be using Facebook, Twitter and soon YouTube to get information to the state’s unemployed. The labour commissioner said the department’s web site usually gets around 3 million hits a month while social-networking sites like Facebook get 88 million and Twitter 44.5 million.
The social networking includes up-to-the-minute employment content and will also include announcements about events like job fairs and a place for job seekers to comment on their experiences.
