Entering the right key words has always remained the key to success,at least on the web world. And the latest addition to assist jobseekers on the Internet is blogs. On the backdrop of the shrinking job market,as supply exceeds demand,more recruitment agencies are targeting blogs and networking sites to find a perfect fit. I make it a point to visit blogs and networking sites like Orkut,Facebook and Linkedin regularly. Whether I close a particular opening using a particular blog or networking site is a different question altogether. But what is important is the visibility that I create on such sites because of which people approach me with their resumes. Another important aspect in being linked is that professional relationships are strengthened, said Tabassum Shaikh of Carbon Consultants,a city-based recruitment firm. A Google Trend search on blog recruitment shows the sudden use of blogging as a means of recruitment in 2009. In fact,having spotted the same trend,many jobsites have created their own blogging and networking sites. According to an official with Naukri.com,a widely used job portal in the country,We started a networking site called Bridge to attract profiles through blogging and networking. Almost 10 per cent of our job requirements are met through Bridge. Explaining the advantage of blogs and networking as the tool for recruitment she said,Media space on the Internet attracts all kinds of profiles which in turn increases our filtering work. With posts on the networking sites,the search is narrowed down because the requirements reach only few,serious and eligible jobseekers. The technique is the best for mid- and senior-level positions. Though the recruitment industry is going through a transition period where one gets to experience a mix of traditional as well as advanced means of recruitment,there are a few who choose to play safe when it comes to such recruitment techniques. Its a shot in the dark. While there is no guarantee that the posted job openings on the Blogosphere would hit the bulls eye,there is an increased probability of it happening. I personally treat blog and networking as the means to trigger a contact. But the authenticity of the contact can only be checked through physical meeting or audio-visual conversation. It is exactly like an Internet marriage, said Milindkumar Kavale,chairman and managing director of a private consultancy. Labelling blog recruitment in India as naïve,Harshad Oak,founder,Rightrix Solutions and well-known blogger added,I agree that a lot of recruitment agencies use networking and blogs as means of connecting. In fact most of the tech forums that I visit are bombarded with such postings. But it is limited to agencies only and unlike in the US,not many actual employers seem to use blogs as a recruitment tool in India. Abroad,blogs are used not only for recruitment,but also for doing a reference check after hiring. There have been cases where some of the professionals,who after having got recruited,posted bad comments about the same companies on the blogs,which in turn was caught by the company resulting in an immediate termination of the candidate. Going by these examples that have become part of regular stories in the Internet world,we have a long way to go before that happens.
