Social networking has made recruiting immeasurably easier and harder for employers. It's easier because the whole world of active and passive candidates are on the table. It's harder because the whole world of active and passive candidates are on the table.
I've placed a lot of executives over the years. They pose their own set of challenges. But that's for another post. For now, I'm interested in helping entry level candidates get the job.
Five Rules For Entry-Level Candidates
1) Present your character, not your skill set.
At age 22, you don't have a ton of useful skills. Speaking Chinese or programming in C# is great. And unusual. The huge majority of candidates have traveled abroad, have decent grades, and were the treasurer of the marketing club at Central Michigan University. What employers are looking for is your ability to step up to challenges and solve problems.
2) Be friendly, polite and professional.
Three recent college grads answered a job ad I put up requesting entry level help. The first intro got my gender wrong, even though I had a picture on the ad. The second intro was somewhat rude and presumptive, asking for my contact info so she could send me a resume and schedule an interview without asking anything about the job or telling me anything about herself. The third candidate was polite. She actually sent me a resume with a misspelling on it (which I pointed out) and she apologized, explained it and fixed it. I asked her for an interview. That's character.
3) Tell the truth.
A candidate I was looking at claimed to have an MBA from the University of Ohio at Cincinnati, which was particularly interesting since there is no University of Ohio anywhere, particularly not in Cincinnati, which happens to be my hometown. Another candidate told me his biggest weakness was perfectionism, which I found interesting since his writing sample had two misspellings and three grammar mistakes.
4) Do as much research as you can, then ask interesting questions.
Job descriptions are often vague and very likely won't give you all the information you need. Find out what the company does, as much history as you can, and as many details about the position as you can. Do your homework. Find someone who works there and ask for a brief informational interview.
5) Understand that the answer to "Could you do me a favor?" is usually yes.
People, if they know what you need and are in a position to help you, usually will. The key here is to follow through. I made that mistake early in my career when a number of people offered introductions and other help and I didn't follow through, or later didn't know what to ask or how to ask for it. Everybody was entry level once and asking for help shouldn't be seen as overly aggressive and annoying. (Note to candidates: Don't be overly aggressive and annoying!)
Follow these steps and you'll be on your way!