Want to keep posted about the job market? If you are not yet networking online, then perhaps you should be - student accountant investigates
From virtual recruitment fairs on Second Life to Ernst & Young's 'Oh Happy Day' video on YouTube, there's no escaping the fact that networking websites are fast-becoming an integral component in candidate attraction strategies.
But what does this mean for aspiring finance professionals? Is it simply a case of registering on as many sites as possible and waiting to be plucked from online obscurity? And are business networks such as LinkedIn and Ecademy more useful than popular but more socially-orientated sites like Facebook?
The done thing
Recruitment consultants are among the most active visitors to networking sites, using them to identify candidates to whom they can pitch job opportunities. In their opinion, signing up for a networking site isn't something that accountants should be afraid of - the rationale being that, as face-to-face networking has become an acceptable part of long-term career strategies, why not online too?
'Networking is a useful business skill,' says Caroline Hart of specialist finance recruiters WH Marks Sattin. 'You have to be careful about exactly what information you disclose, but in this day and age, employers understand that most people aren’t in a job for life - they move on and they want a broad range of experiences. So there's nothing wrong in getting in touch with those who could influence your career in that respect; it doesn't have to signal that you are on the lookout to leave your current job immediately.'
Max Williamson, CEO of jobs website Careersinaudit.com, suggests a confident approach to getting your online networking activity off the ground: 'There are no half-measures - you are either on a site or you are not,' he says. 'There's no point going on there and building a vague profile that doesn't mention, for instance, the companies you have worked for.
'There are so many jobseekers on networking sites who do post their full details that recruitment consultants will always go to them first. You need to commit fully.'
Play it safe
But he's careful to draw a distinction between networking sites used by accountants to link up with recruiters (and others), and more blatant jobseeker-only sites: 'Registering on LinkedIn or Xing is one thing; being discovered by your employer on Monster is a different situation - that shows you are ready to go.'
However, even networking sites - where your profile is visible to all-comers - could signal to your boss that you are sending out subtle hints that you are open to offers. That shouldn't be overly worrying, says Hart: 'Networking is partly about promoting your skills and insights,' she says, 'After all, people who are complete strangers often find each other’s profiles and ask questions about what it's like to work in a particular sector or location. So being on a networking site with details of your professional background needn't be a bad thing from your employer's perspective.'
Many people use the sites just to keep aware of the current market, according to Williamson: 'You have to be quite canny about it,' he explains. 'In some ways, it's a bit of a game - everyone knows that if you are on LinkedIn, then the flags are out. For most people, networking is about finding a job, even if it's much further down the line. And that’s the beauty of networking sites - you can simply dip your toe in the water without making a firm commitment. If a recruiter gets in touch after seeing your profile, you can always ask them to contact you again in three or four months time, and then keep updating your profile where relevant. It’s such an effective way of letting people know you are looking without actually saying so.'
Sites to be seen on
Williamson is a big fan of LinkedIn and Xing: 'They are the best by a country mile,' he says. 'LinkedIn perhaps has a greater global reach, while Xing is more European in flavour. But recruiters use both extensively.'
Hart says that while the sites don't carry job databases, in a candidate-short market, recruitment consultants turn to them when existing databases fail to come up trumps. 'Consultants who struggle to find people with in-demand skills, such as software knowledge or languages, or who are willing to work in less popular locations or sectors, know that they can go on to networking sites, tap in their keywords and identify people in seconds,' she says. 'Then it’s up to them to make an approach with specific opportunities.'
Cutting the ice
Registering on networking sites is easy enough - but once you are on, what happens next?
Although you can be sure that recruitment consultants will be highly proactive in seeking out potential candidates, that doesn't mean you have to hang around coyly in your virtual corner waiting to be chatted up. In fact, may recruiters will welcome a more upfront approach.
'Just enter your target criteria and key words - for instance, audit recruiters - and individual consultants will come up in your results,' says Williamson. 'You can then easily bypass the usual procedures - such as applying via the agency's website or for specific jobs you have seen advertised - and get straight through to a consultant, who could have the opportunity you have been waiting for ready to hand.'
Many consultants are also making more sophisticated use of networking functionality - such as publishing a newsletter online via their profile, or writing their own blogs to which jobseekers and even other recruiters can respond online.
So there's no reason to hold back, says Hart - who reminds jobseekers that consultants are also on networking sites to build long-term relationships and impart advice; they are not all looking for instantly placeable candidates: 'We know that many accountants - especially students, whose priority is to qualify - may not want to move jobs straight away.
By making and maintaining contact via a networking site, they can simply explore the current marketplace, find out which industries are thriving and stay abreast of employment and salary trends. That kind of contact is more easily managed online, so consultants are usually happy for people to make a proactive approach.'
Networking etiquette
Building your profile online is straightforward enough - but don’t forget to observe 'netiquette' conventions. These vary from site to site (and from country to country, although with fewer nuances than offline interaction) but a broad rule of thumb is simply to remember common courtesy.
'If a consultant approaches you with a job that's not quite right, you should nevertheless respond,' says Hart. 'Don’t just ignore them - if you say thanks and explain why it's not right, they'll be better able to tailor something for you next time.
Remember, however detailed your profile, there's no substitute for a face-to-face meeting - a consultant who has only met you online won't be armed with the same information as one who has interviewed you in person. That means you may occasionally have to help them refine your search criteria.'
And as many a job-seeking Facebook user has discovered to their dismay, take care not to post anything that you wouldn't want a potential employer to know. No matter how tight the privacy settings, if just one contact has access to all your details, then they could be made available to all that contact's contacts - and theirs, and theirs, and so on. Think about all the information you disclose as being in the public domain.
That includes, of course, conjecture and opinion on your current employer: 'Be vigilant about anything you say,' says Hart. 'As in an interview situation, you should never make negative comments or allegations about current or previous jobs. It's a complete no-no.'
Where we're going
The online networking community may seem ultra-sophisticated to those who have yet to register - but experts say the concept is still very much in its infancy.
And 'virtual worlds' such as Second Life - which are being cautiously explored by employers as potential sources of future recruits - make LinkedIn and Ecademy look in many ways somewhat primitive. After all, if you can disguise yourself as an 'avatar', pitch up anonymously at a virtual careers fair and find out about potential career paths at the Big Four, why risk being rumbled by an internet-savvy boss through blatantly careless networking?
However, although virtual worlds pose many technical and cultural challenges for employers, more basic networking sites are likely to have a lengthy shelf life for some time to come.
'Networking sites are undoubtedly the way forward for the moment,' says Williamson. 'I don’t know a single recruitment consultant who doesn't use LinkedIn; it's such an important tool, and therefore crucial for jobseekers too.'
But do remember to keep your postings appropriate: Facebook and Bebo for the social stuff; LinkedIn, Ecademy, and Xing for business and career networking.
Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by the many employer groups being set up on social networking sites - few are officially sanctioned and many are downright abusive (often established by disgruntled ex-employees); don't be found guilty by association.
'It's going to be an interesting year for Facebook,' says Williamson. 'They are taking more advertisements from businesses but there's some resistance by users to what's seen as an invasion of their space by employers. But now that companies can 'corporatise' their space, there may be greater use of Facebook as a recruitment tool.
'But,' he concludes, 'with the dangers attached to publishing personal information on social sites, in the end it's safest to stick to those sites that deal with business networking only.'
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