Young Jobseekers Use Digital Media Savvy to Crack Tough Job Market

Jobseekers today will find that nepotism is the only sure-fire way to break into the market.

It's a fact of life.

Those without connections, or an opportunity to get hired solely on the basis of their relationship to an employer, are required to advertise and promote themselves. The best chance they have at being offered a position is being top of mind with an employer when a project opens up. This often entails a great deal of legwork.

With fewer jobs and more competition, some job seekers have turned to the Internet to give them an advantage over a myriad of contenders.

Especialy for those who work in digital or cutting-edge industries such as advertising, public relations and media it is necessary to have a strong knowledge of the Internet to gain a leg-up on the competition. Not only do media-savvy individuals know how to promote business and generate leads through blogs, columns, articles and chat forums, they also know how to promote themselves as well.

With the advent of Blogger, Myspace, Craigslist, Youtube, Realityadz and countless other message boards, it has become possible for a diligent job seeker to get their name on the first page of Google searches for their industry. Websites like ihaveanidea.org tailor to young creatives trying to break into advertisng as copywriters and art directors. Some job seekers have even documented their job searches through their blogs.

One famous sympathetic tale of self-promotion through blogging was the incidence of the aspiring writer in Canada who traded his way to a house from one red paperclip. He had the media behind him and it made for great human-interest news. Another story involved young filmmaker, Brian, who had a dream to go on a date with Drew Barrymore (and break into the film industry in the process) his website My Date With Drew eventually caught her attention after they spoke about it on-air, one thing led to another, and sure enough he got his date (and his movie).

In today's rapidly changing work environment it is getting harder and harder for applicants. Massive downsizing in most companies is commonplace and job security is a thing of the past. So everyone is always looking. This puts a strain on the jobseeker, as finding paid employment is harder now than ever before.

Hong Kong is no exception. With the changing of the guard in 1997, Briton handed the reigns back over to the Chinese government, setting a rift in motion for those accustomed to Western ideas. This has led to major shifts in the media and advertising circuit, changing how information is dispersed and making it more difficult than ever for those seeking employment in this one-time mecca of commerce.

Those seeking work in Asia should best keep in mind the challenges and difficulties facing those with limited media savvy as it is often prominence on modern search engines that tip the scales in the job-hunting arena. It has even been suggested by vigilants that one should name their children unique names to facillitate a Google search enquiry! Until that day comes, however, perhaps is is best to remember that Google allows people to find out everything about you faster than any news source, so it should be the most respected medium.