More and more job seekers are turning to social media to sell their skills – but is HR paying enough attention? HRM investigates.
Kathryn Basham, a recent graduate from the University of Moncton, has been hired three months after launching a social media campaign called “Hire Me N.B” – but are her efforts more gimmicky than ground-breaking? HRM investigates.
Basham was inspired to “sell herself” after spending three years studying in New Brunswick and becoming desperate to stay – she says it was a much better option than waiting for employers to come to her.
In one YouTube post, Basham urged employers to get in touch; “If you know a company in need of some southern charm and ingenuity, check out my website, hiremenb.ca for full downloadable resumé and examples from my portfolio.”
Paul Boomhower, the director of client happiness at BrainWorks Marketing, was the man who hired her – but was it really the video that did it?
According to Boomhower, Basham has already applied to the firm – so the job offer didn’t come solely on the back of the social media campaign. The campaign did however, act as proof of Basham’s skills and make her resume stand out from the rest.
"We were looking for a social media manager and here she is using social media to the extreme," Boomhower said. "So we called her in for an interview the same day that she applied and the personality in the interview came through even more, so that really sold us."
National HRD for Gowlings, Marva Bethune told HRM that “there needs to be a combination” of traditional recruitment methods with creative new ones, for a campaign to be successful.
HR professional Ken Hemphill agreed that a campaign alone wouldn’t be enough to convince him; “If someone was able to demonstrate a set of unique skills and an ability to think outside of the box and do something different then absolutely I’d embrace that, but that needs to be in addition to their required skills and their professional ability.”
