Podcast, blogging and RSS technologies are now being used by a new and innovative job seeking firm who describes the process as "social network recruiting" or "jobcasting."
Recruitment company, Jobs In Pods, uses the technology to advertise employment opportunities and promote employers through their website Jobsinpods.com.
"We thought it would be a natural medium," says Anette Ceraficki, a recruiting manager who uses jobcasting.
Ceraficki works for the Calgary division of design companies Veer and Corbis. She says the young and creative demographic they target in recruiting campaigns are often already interested in these types of technology.
Jobcasting is a marketing process created by Jobs In Pods to help companies produce a podcast which contains interviews with actual employees.
The idea is to attract job hunters by offering them an insight into a company's corporate culture and career paths available.
The podcast is then posted on Jobsinpods.com in a blog format which allows the company to list further information such as their current job listings.
In addition, the podcast is made available through various mediums including the Jobs In Pods ITunes and YouTube channels.
Further, the podcasts can be easily integrated into the employer's own corporate website.
For job seekers, finding the podcasts can be as easy as searching the website like a regular job board or downloading the latest MP3 to their IPod. They can also choose to be instantly notified of new podcasts through e-mail or an RSS feed.
Veer, who often hires ACAD graduates, posted its first podcast in 2007. The company liked it so much they recently posted a second.
Although the job market is expected to cool with the recent economic downturn, recent graduates may still want to keep their eyes on this new form of recruiting.
Ceraficki confirms the current economic situation was partly responsible for Veer's decision to create a second podcast this year.
"They last forever," the recruiting manager says.
Jobs In Pods charges employers $349 for each seven to 10 minute podcast created.
Although it sounds expensive, a specific print or online advertisement can cost just as much and lasts for a limited period of time.
In contrast a podcast could still be found by job seekers online six months later. If they download the podcast, it could literally last forever. Jobsinpods.com first launched in March of 2007.
Interested job seekers can listen to and download the podcasts for free.
