Networking online is growing into a new "blogosphere." Blogging is one of the latest trends for marketing oneself for jobs and may become one of the recruiting mechanisms for employers.
Some Cal Poly students have not jumped on the bandwagon, although individuals are getting more creative with things usually seen on MySpace and Facebook.
Fifth-year accounting student Neil Umscheid is not blogging yet and is uncertain whether he will blog in the future, even knowing that employers look at information online.
"If they were [to look at résumés] I would, but I doubt they would. [It] wouldn't hurt," Umscheid said.
Employers that are not surfing the Internet for job candidates are experiencing the growing trend.
"I have not had luck recruiting through MySpace, but I have had employee referral leads from employees that met people on MySpace," said Enterprise Rent-A-Car Regional Recruiting Supervisor Jennifer Broughton.
Broughton has come to career fairs on campus to recruit students for her organization. She is not the only one who has heard about blogging for professional reasons.
Career Center Customer Service Assistant Dora Chapman said she has seen more employers looking at blogs.
"Most employers don't want to see immature behavior,"
Chapman said of those individuals who use blogging for recreational purposes. "They've actually done speeches at conferences about that."
An article by PR News reported that 27 percent of Internet users read blogs, a 58 percent increase from four years ago.
"As long as blogging is professional, then I think it is OK," Broughton said.
HR Magazine reported that Microsoft has taken it a step further and made blogging a two-way communication venue for employers and potential candidates. Persons interested in obtaining jobs at Microsoft just have to contact bloggers who are writing about the job, and they are able to set up interviews via that system.
The Wall Street Journal reported that some recruiters spend one to two hours a week surfing blogs to get a better idea of the candidates they are interviewing.
Umscheid doesn't think this trend will affect future students.
"I think it may affect them by saying and or showing something that may get them in trouble. I don't really see it having much impact on them besides that," Umscheid said. "[Employers] only look at it to research people they are hiring."
The Wall Street Journal article reported that some employers have an alert system that notifies them when their organization is mentioned in a blog.
The system automatically flags the candidate and, depending on how the organization was mentioned, could potentially disqualify candidates. It could also give an edge to that candidate over competitors if it is done in a professional manner.
Chapman said students who may have had online blogs should reconsider what they write as they get closer to graduation. Blogging to obtain a job, however, is a different story.
"That, I think, would be great," Chapman said.
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