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Recent shifts in the Web 2.0 world like, content co-creation, transparency and individualized information, impacts the way job searches and careers are being defined these days.

Trends indicate the need to adopt and leverage new media or social media channels for improving accessibility, creating a brand image, and enhancing the potential of getting a job. Blogs, pod-casting, wikis and social networking are no more mere buzz-words, but effective tools to get a head-start in a complex web world. Jobs opportunities are also varied and exciting as compared to few years ago. Instead of regular 9:00 to 6:00 assignments, you have options of flexible timings, earning revenue from blogging, syndicating content, selling digital photographs, person-to-person outsourcing ventures, among others.

For a management student, it opens up numerous opportunities to build awareness, cultivate communities, contribute to relevant discussions, and improve chances of a long-term career growth.

A recent study by McCann Universal shows that new media platforms are gaining momentum. 57 per cent have joined a social network, making it the number one platform for creating and sharing content. Blogs are a mainstream media world-wide and a collective rival to traditional media. Video clips are the quickest growing among the platforms. In India, new or social media has caught on well and the medium cannot be overlooked anymore. According to a leading Internet consulting research firm, "Google's (GOOG) Orkut is the most popular social networking site in India, with a 64 per cent market share. Facebook is also winning many Indian fans, especially students. By 2010, the total number of Internet users in India will grow to 100 million, from 42 million now. This will surely enhance virtual hang-out places like the social networking sites."

The Internet will continue to dominate how recruiters search for potential candidates. A United Kingdom Job Forecast Survey found that 60 per cent of recruiters will start or continue to utilize the web as part of their recruitment strategy. A survey by CareerBuilder.com indicates that two-thirds of these employers have rejected candidates on the basis of what they have found. So, it is vital to have a presence online and be aware of the image you are portraying.

As students, these new tools are an asset, if leveraged wisely. So the question is: what should be the way forward? Do we start a blog? Should we open pages on social networking sites? Should we create Web 2.0 Curriculum Vitae (CV)?

Getting started with New Media needs clear thinking and careful action.

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* Contributed by: -
Aniisu Verghese is currently working as an internal communication expert for a global management and consulting firm, where he oversees employee communication and internal branding. Verghese has worked for organisations like Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, i-Flex Solutions and Accenture, and has ten years experience in the evolving internal communication, online media and new media domains. He has won several employee communication awards and writes regularly for management and industry publications.
Blog: www.intraskope.wordpress.com
Article posted on March 1, 2009.