Government using social media for recruitment - Hiring trends in 2012

It’s a well known fact that today employers actively log on to prospective employee’s profiles to check weather they suit the organization. Therefore, it is essential that any information one puts up on a social networking website is clean and projects clean image of you. However, it’s not just employers who war checking out social media to hire employees, it works the other way around as well. People looking for jobs, often hop onto the facebook pages of prospective employer to learn weather the job is lucrative enough and weather the organization will offer them what they are looking for.

The government is also actively using social media today for recruitment and that can be seen in the number of facebook pages that the government has online today. In fact, the state of Missouri hired their first employee off a portal called Second Life, in response to this CIO Dan Ross said, “He came to our job fair as a cat with a red bow tie on”. Recruiters are finding new ways to keep their prospective employees entertained by looking at avenues that are unconventional and therefore finding like minded individuals in the process.

35% of companies both private and public use social media as a platform to create communication on the net with prospective employees and clients. The idea is simple, create a connect with your stakeholder and make sure they are engaged so as to create top of mind recall. A company official at Capgemini also mentioned that, “Through social media channels, we provide prospective candidates a glass-door view into the company.”

A number of government as well as private organizations use the medium of social media to recruit employees simply because it is necessary to exploit every resource that is available.

S. Balaji, CEO MaFoi Consultants believes that while using every resource is a great idea, “The type of recruitment channel used by a company is based on the kind of recruitment needs. Different positions require varied approaches. While bulk recruitment of engineers would not happen through advertisements on social media, laterals for specific positions would.”

The government is actively using social media to recruit employees by hosting listing for openings in a variety of sectors by way of social media. The trend may have been started by small organizations who do not have the marketing capacity to use traditional medium of marketing to attract attention, but the reach of the medium has coerced a number of large conglomerates as well as government agencies to use this medium as one of the main source of finding employees that may do justice to the job.

There has been a paradigm shift in the way people craft their recruiting strategies now, the need of the hour is to maximise resources that are available, and with social media offering an inexpensive and comprehensive approach to recruitment, it is here to stay.

Job market on the Road to Recovery: TCS to Hire 37,000 Freshers, Railways to Hire 3 Lakhs

Students graduating from management and engineering schools have reason to rejoice. In contrast to the last few years, this year brings with it a number of opportunities for students all over the country in a number of fields. TCS is going to hire a total of 37,000 freshers and the Railways are going to hire 3 lakhs employees this year. IT companies are on a roll with Infosys and TCS being on a hiring spree.

This indeed comes as great news for students who were afraid that the job market in India had almost frozen. The road to recovery seems to be open and placement committees across the country are awaiting companies to come to campus and hire chunks of students. However it’s not just the job offer that is bringing happiness, it’s also the packages that are rewarding.

The last few years saw the economy face a massive slump, with lay offs came lack of opportunities and disappointments, but the future seems bright and with lakhs of job offers mushrooming in a number of sectors, students have nothing to complain. Most students who opt for engineering or management in our country take on huge loans, which they wish to pay off once they get a job, the grim scenario has lifted and now students do not have to worry about the heavy load of paying off their loans as jobs are coming in.

The Railways is hiring people from all across the country and has already started holding entrance tests. The railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee is elated at the opportunity that is going to be presented and has said, “We will take 2.5 Lakh – 3 lakhs people all over the country. But I am sure that we will get over three crores job application”. In a country as large as ours, even three lakhs seats are going be tough competition for those vying for a job with the railways.

TCS does not require students to sit for an entrance test and allows students that have a consistent academic performance of over 70% to sit for an interview. A spokesperson at TCS said, “The entrance test is more to check your aptitude and we think academic consistency takes care of it”. However TCS is only approaching schools that have a ration A+, A and B to ensure that they can scout the best talent in the country.

With so many jobs opening up, there is a smile across the faces of students who in the midst of their course had started imagining the worst. But the turnaround has been welcomed with much celebration as both private and public organizations are picking up the freshers.

Let Employers Approach You

Wouldn't it be wonderful if an employer approached you directly and offered you a coveted position in the organization without you actually applying for the job you desire. Well, it’s possible, however you have to put in some effort into ensuring that the right people notice you and approach you.

Start Blogging: One of the best ways to get noticed and create a brand for yourself is through blogging. The platform of blogging allows you to air your views, opinions and any other ideas that you may have. If you have a particular industry that you are interested in, you can use your blog to dispense your ideas regarding the industry on your personal blog. Of course you need to them market your blog using social media as well.

Reach out to people who hire: If there is a particular company that you are looking at to be a part of, you will need to do some amount of research. Use your contacts and resources available on the web to find out who the key people in the organization are. Find ways to connect to them through twitter, professional networking sites etc. Once you have established a contact, request them for advice, by no means ask them for a job directly.

Offer your ideas: If you are really keen on letting the management in the organization know that you have ideas that can work be willing to put in some work into drafting a proposal of ideas that can help the organization, if they like it, they will call upon you and you may get what you have always dreamed of.

Show your presence: Out of sight is often out of mind and therefore make sure that you keep reminding prospective employers that you are around. With the help of social networking media you can ensure that. Publish papers, keep posting articles on your blogs and be active.

Do You Lie in Job Interviews? Don't Fear

If you feel guilty about lying at job interviews, you should not, because everybody does it, so put on your best liar’s hat and do not feel ashamed to lie through your teeth. However be careful as to what you say, because if your lies can be traced back, you may be in trouble, so you should know where to draw the line. 


There is no harm in bragging about the designation and the job responsibilities you held at your last organizations. Exaggerate a little, talk about your systematic approach to work, talk about your commitment to deadlines and also discuss how your seniors appreciated your work. 


When your prospective employers ask you about your salary, be careful, if the company is going to demand for salary slips from the last organization, you do not have much scope to lie. If the organization does not require your salary slips then you could maybe slip in a couple of thousands or lakhs more. 


Tell your prospective employers how excited you are about being a part of the new organization. Tell them how you track their performance, love the image and long to be a part of the organization. 


If you were fired from the last job, it would not be such a great idea to lie about it. However if there is no possible way in which your employers could find out, you could easily move on with a lie. 


And last but not the least, even if you are apprehensive about taking on a new job profile that you may not be familiar with but are excited about, be confident and let your prospective employers know that you can handle any challenge that is offered to you.

What are you doing to increase your chance of getting a job

The worst thing to do when you are looking for a job is getting complacent about the search process. The job you desire is not going to fall into your lap from the heaven’s above, you have to work towards it. The times are tough, the competition is tougher and therefore you have to put your heart and soul into finding that job that will give you a life that you want.

A few things that can help you in your process to secure a good job are as follows:

Get your resume prepared: You cannot do without a conventional paper CV but what you also need is a Video resume from Koozba. It will help your prospective employers understand your skills and the other attributes you posses over and above your academic qualification and achievements.

Tell everyone that you are looking for a job: Do not shy away from telling people that you are looking for a job. And when you tell your friends and people in your family that you are currently job hunting, be sure to tell them which industry you wish to enter, the kind of job profile you want and also the set of skills that you posses. You never know who and what can trigger off the best opportunity you will get in life. Also post your resume on as many job portals as you can.

Get a new professional email id: Make sure you have a professional email id with your name and surname. It makes it easier for people to contact you and appears less frivolous.   

Get a professional suit stitched: It’s important to look presentable when you go for interviews and therefore it is advisable that you get a professional suit stitched. 

Keep your social networking sites clean: Today, prospective employers will check up on you by looking at your social networking sites, therefore make sure your information is clean and impressive.

Research about the company: Before going for interviews always read up as much as you can on the company. Research is important if you want to come across as someone who is interested in getting the job.

Always send a thank you note: Out of sight is indeed out of mind. To ensure that your prospective employers remember you, send out a Thank You note after your interview.

Expert Advice for Your First Job

The first few days of your first job are really exciting. Everything is new around you: the new responsibility as an employee, the co-workers, and a totally different work environment. These moments are going to be written in golden scripts provided you follow these suggestions from experts.

1. Go that extra mile. Work hard and become the best. Nothing can replace hard work. Show your employer that you are here to work, work and work.
2. Look, listen and not speak. The first few days in office should be dedicated for understanding the environment. Observe your work environment and watch the individuals around you to get a clue of who’s doing what and more importantly “how.”
3. Look for the weakness in each. Every individual is born with some frailties. If you are intelligent enough to catch it you succeed in most part of your job.
4. No whining. Avoid complaining. No one is there to attend your complaints. Your efficiency is determined by your ability to cope up with the given facilities and deliver the best.
5. Don’t try to be a revolutionist. Your job is not to change the system. You are bound to accept the system the way it is and contribute for its improvement. Being revolutionary will only invite enemies.
6. Don’t be too casual or personal with anybody, especially your superiors. Always keep a boundary while sharing personal info.
7. Take up the ugly jobs that no one is ready to pick up. Show that you have the will to DO IT ALL.
8. Be knowledgeable. Know the industry what you are in. If you are knowledgeable about your job and about the competitor companies, you will get recognized quickly.

The Greatest Asset of a Fresher is his Communication Skill

Besides looking at your achievements that your resume details, there is one key factor that prospective employers look at while recruiting individuals. Yes, and that factor is your communication skills. While your resume will help you get an interview, your communication skills at the interview will determine weather you get your job. In most cases, people who have not performed exceptionally well, but have excellent communication skills an exude confidence are picked over those who lack in the communication department.

You may be well spoken, well read and have a great attitude, but your simple paper CV is not going to be able to communicate your personality. How about changing the medium and giving your prospective employers a sneak peak into your personality. Yes, you can do that by simply making a video resume for yourself. Koozba gives you a platform to showcase your communication skills. You can utilise this platform to create a video CV for yourself that allows you to exhibit your skills in a creative and unconventional form.

Communication skills in any industry is of extreme importance, especially when it comes to inter personal relationships at the workplace. In the corporate world, those who can make a good first impression simply by how they talk and how they present themselves can garner respect in the eyes of peers as well as seniors. The world today is extremely competitive, and a few marks on your report card are not going to take you places, what is going to make a difference is how you communicate with your colleagues at the workplace.

The first step is getting picked by a prospective employer for an interview. Your conventional paper CV may not help you do this if you have scored relatively low marks as compared to your batch mate. When you get interactive and use the medium of Koozba, you can show them that you have what your competition is lacking and that is communication skills that can charm even the most discerning of panels.