When Jobseekers Invade Facebook

The last few years have seen the explosive growth of social networking websites like Xing, Facebook and Linkedin. The latter has been the dedicated networking site for professionals and has seen a rise in its members ever since the recession took hold. Members are on the site primarily to connect over business and professional issues, making it an ideal platform for the job-seeker. Same is the case with a number of other sites like Xing (based in Germany) and Meet the Boss (based in the UK). The latter is specifically for C-level executives with a leaning towards the financial functions.

Facebook on the other hand has been seen exclusively as a site for friends to connect and share their lives. This does not mean that the site has no commercial outlook. A number of companies, products and brands have made use of the site to connect to customers and would-be customers through fan pages, facebook apps and other initiatives. There has also been the usual share of self-promoting marketers and network sellers. However, recent trends indicate people using their so-called friend networks to hunt for jobs, ask for recommendations and favours. How appropriate would it be if someone you recently ‘friended’ asked you for an introduction to a prospective employer who ‘just happens’ to be in your network?

Members are increasingly getting the feeling of being used, while the basic premise on which the site is based is that of sharing, with the primary focus being on giving rather than taking. This has resulted in the rising number of ‘defriends’, a process where you no longer want someone in your friend list and ask the site to have them removed. Social networks are difficult to maintain for groups over 150 people according to anthropologists, and this universal truth is now apparent.

It is sad to see the line between social and professional networking getting blurred in this manner. With the recession continuing in the current manner, we will be looking at many more such incidences. The conflict between social and professional spaces is likely to bring in a number of changes in the online etiquette even as it is in the process of evolving. The only hope is that it does not ultimately lead to the point of people asking themselves whether they have any real friends at all.

Social networking is a gradual process where friendships and social equity is built on the foundation of trust developed over shared interactions over a period of time. It is not and overnight cure, and the best way to go about connecting with people is through transparency rather than flimsy ‘friendships’ which are focused only on one’s immediate needs.