Interviews on the Web - how tech is transforming the job hunt

September 14, 8:58 AMBusiness ExaminerDarrell Proctor

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This report from EDMC (courtesy of the Imperial Valley News) talks about how "technology is streamlining the hiring process."

With businesses looking for ways to cut expenses, interviewing candidates via conference call or even Webcam - or finding candidates on tech-driven sites where employers can find a storehouse of resumes - has become the preferred mode of conducting a job search.

"Web 2.0 has changed the way employers and job seekers locate, research, and interview each other," says Marc Scoleri, director of career services at The Art Institute of New York City. "The Internet has enabled job seekers to promote themselves through web-based social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn. Social networking profiles are comparable to paper resumes in the sense that they can list the job seeker's employment information, but a social networking profile can show an image, video, with live clickable links so it can be e-mailed to anyone in a split second."

Two other parts of the article caught my eye:

Employers are also using a quick Google search to see if there is any positive or negative content online about an applicant. For job seekers, outrageous or unprofessional pictures or videos on a social networking site can be a deal-breaker for a prospective employer. Therefore, job seekers need to understand the nature of these social networking sites and the repercussions they may have on their job search if not used appropriately.

And this:

In this new environment, both sides of the job-hunting process benefit. In fact, the days of mailing a paper resume to an employer (which never yielded great results) may be over. Then again, a very creative resume kit that includes the high-tech elements (including a CD with a video and links to an online portfolio) delivered via snail mail may be one way to stand apart from the rest of the pack.