Social Networking 2.0 - College Grads and Young Professionals Using Technology to Launch Career

An Inconvenient Truth

It is not a matter of what you do but who you know that really matters. For many year this was an unfortunate truth, especially in the business world. While the A-student works diligently for 4 years to graduate with honors, the slacker with the rich parents gets the inside track to the top jobs in the industry. Simply by knowing the right people, the slacker get's his foot in the door and coasts right onto the fast track. Fair? Of course not! Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, however, this trend is quickly ending...

Social Networking 2.0

Social networking has connected people, both professionally and personally. The benefits of social networking are undeniable and nothing can be said in this forum that has not already been said a million times. Specifically, social networks have been extremely instrumental in providing college graduates and young professionals with the vary advantage that the "slacker," above, previously held. Today, anyone can access millions of professionals and gain the specific information and tools to significantly increase their chance of landing the job of their dreams. This process, however, can be excruciatingly slow - especially for those that are in desperate need of a job! Here is an example:

Scenario A: The hypothetical best case social-networking scenario

Joe College is graduating in a couple weeks with a degree in Accounting. He wants to land a job at one of the Big 4 Accounting firms. Joe registers with LinkedIn and creates a profile. He does a search for other graduates from his school that are working in the accounting field. Joe finds an alumni from his school who has been working at PricewaterhouseCoopers for two years. Joe sends an invitation to connect with the alumni. Joe waits a few days. Joe’s invitation is accepted. Joe sends the alumni a message saying hello. Joe wait’s another day and gets a general response. Joe asks the alumni if he could call him to discuss Big 4 accounting. Joe waits another day. Joe finally has a conversation with the alumni and asks "tell me everything you know about getting hired with a Big 4 accounting firm." Much to Joe’s luck, the alumni is involved in the campus recruiting program at PwC and is well versed in the hiring process from start to finish. Joe learns how to get his foot in the door, what to expect from the hiring process and how to mold himself into the perfect job candidate. Joe applies this knowledge and lands the job of his dreams!

Scenario B: Social Networking 2.0 - Instant Information

Company A.com is founded by two young professionals on the cutting edge of their respective fields. Company A anticipates that many grads would love to pick the brain of those that have landed the job of their dreams. Company A gathers all this information and boils it down to no-holds-barred information products including eBooks and screen-casts. Joe College visits www.big4guru.com and within seconds has purchased an eBook titled "How to land a job with the Big 4." It is simple, potent and he can apply the knowledge today. For the cost of afew drinks at the bar, Joe has learned the secret to making his $120,000 degree pay off. Joe applies this knowledge and lands the job of his dreams!

The beauty of social networking 2.0 is that it eliminates the need for networking all together. The purpose of building social networks, from a professional sense is to gain access to the knowledge and information that will allow one to advance. By taking specific knowledge, condensing it to a concise electronic format (pdf), and providing instant access, the need to spend endless time and energy tracking down the perfect person to add to your network is eliminated. The information is easily obtained and instantly accessible.

When asked about this phenomenon, the founder of Big4Guru.com, who wishes to remain anonymous, had this to say:

"In viewing individuals' networking techniques and desires, it became obvious that there was a consistent end product that was being sought. In the case of Big4Guru.com, we found that many college grads and low-level professionals would love to find a recruiter from on of the Big 4 Accounting firms and simply say - ' Tell me everything you know about getting hired - tell me exactly what to do.' This is exactly what we have captured on the site. If you want to land a job with the Big 4, you can pick the brain of a recruiter in 5 seconds - its that east.'"

Well said.