JobStreet shows the realities of hiring on social media in video series, urges employers to hire real talent

JobStreet by SEEK continues its initiative to empower companies in seeking better candidates in 2023 through a series of videos in line with their latest campaign, “Hire Real Talent,” baring the realities of hiring on social media.

Social networking channels are proven to be an effective way of communication, but using them for seeking talents may be more inefficient than hirers think—and this video series depicts a witty take on real-life scenarios and challenges among employers that use social media for posting their job vacancies.

Aside from encouraging hirers to utilize legitimate job platforms in their recruitment process, JobStreet’s video series attempts to show the truth behind social media recruiting: when you hire through social media, chances are you have no idea who you're interviewing.

The first video depicts an applicant who resembles the avatar of a newly set-up social media account, illustrating anonymity, a lack of character, or a genuine identity. Likewise, the second video demonstrates the difficulty of recognizing the true applicant whose profile photo is a family portrait. Finally, in the last video, JobStreet displays an applicant with experience working somewhere fictitious, portraying a lack of professionalism and accurate information.

As users are not required to authenticate their identities or credentials on most social media sites, it is challenging to discern between legitimate and fraudulent accounts. In addition, most social media users do not present themselves professionally and have little to no work experience information, which limits the hirers’ opportunity to fully scrutinize their applicants based on their criteria.

“While social media is a convenient tool to share information, we want to let hirers know that not everyone in your following or likes is looking for jobs—and the best and most appropriate way to recruit active jobseekers is to reach out to where they are searching for opportunities, and that is through official job platforms,” said Kim Viray, JobStreet Philippines Head of Marketing.

“In today's competitive and fast-changing world, we recognize the challenges that come with the hiring process, which is why we continuously empower hirers and provide them solutions that they need on top of offering a platform with millions of quality and qualified candidates,” he added.

JobStreet aims to make hiring more convenient and efficient for employers, particularly for SMEs. Through its free job ad postings, businesses are entitled to a 30-day free job posting credit upon registration on JobStreet, giving seamless access to over 14 million registered candidates with free use of powerful candidate management tools, easy-to-use job ad writing tools, inclusion in job recommendations, accessibility on multiple channels, and many other benefits, allowing hirers to focus on selecting the best candidate.

Its beneficial features assure targeted job posting to relevant potential applicants, and it may save time by using screening tools to check and match skills and credentials with the role.

To watch the video series, visit the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/JobStreetPhilippines/videos/1139168213385418

https://www.facebook.com/JobStreetPhilippines/videos/544309744353171

https://www.facebook.com/JobStreetPhilippines/videos/232945675833072

When a Single Source Income is No Longer Enough: We Find Ways

"Juan is a loyal employee and he lost his job during the pandemic."

"Anna is a businesswoman and her business closed permanently because of the lockdowns."

"Carlos is an investor and the value of his investments dropped significantly."

"Jeremy is a rental property owner and many of his tenants left because they can now work from home."

"Emily is a supplier for the airline industry and many of her clients stopped ordering because they are temporarily non-operational." 

The sad part -- they are all breadwinners and their entire family is dependent on them. 

Sounds familiar? 

These are some of the common stories that you'll hear in the past 2 years during the pandemic and it has been an eye-opener for many of us. Personally, I realized that there is no security in being employed or simply having a business. There are a lot of things that could happen and having a single source of income is a risky way to live.  Now, I understand why financial gurus have been telling us that it is important to have multiple income streams.

Because it is important to have a BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP source of income in case one of them fails. 

However, the biggest question is... Is having multiple income streams possible for ordinary Filipinos? What if you are not from a rich family? 

The answer is YES! Even if we are not born with a silver spoon, Filipinos are "madiskarte" and WE ALWAYS FIND WAYS. Thus, having multiple income streams is still possible. 

Sharing with you three (3) ways how you add another income stream.

1. START A BUSINESS 

Starting a business is easier said than done. First, you need to come up with a business idea. If you still don't have one, start with what are you passionate about and see if can potentially solve a problem/ gap. 

Once you have that business idea. Determine if it is feasible by creating a business plan. This is also the best time to check if have available suppliers (in case you go into retail or manufacturing) and if you have a market for it. 

If you find your business idea feasible then you'll need the capital to get started. 

So, what if you don't have the money? Well, that shouldn't stop you from pursuing this endeavor. Here are some ways how you can generate capital for your business.

• Launch a crowdfunding campaign. There have been a lot of crowdfunding success stories and you can be one of them too. You just need to have a good product and the right pitch. 
• Raise capital from family and friends who would be interested to invest in your business. Make sure to determine exactly how much funds you need and the equity that you are willing to give away. 
• Apply for a loan. There are a lot of SME Loans available in the market. Banco de Oro (BDO) for instance offers funding options tailored for SMEs ranging from 1-50 million. They even have the SME Ready Check which works like a revolving fund that is ideal for buying inventory or supplies to address seasonal or bulk orders. You can also use it as a working capital to address operational requirements. 

The best part? You can even apply for a loan online: https://www.bdo.com.ph/personal/loans/sme-loan 

2. START INVESTING

Did you know that for as low as Php 10,000 you can invest in Bonds, Money Market Funds, or even the Stock Market? 

Well, I am also surprised to find out that you don't really need a huge amount to start investing. Different trust and investment products suited to your different needs and risk appetite are readily available. The opportunity to invest is now possible even for ordinary Filipinos. It's easy and accessible. 

One of my favorite investment products is the Peso Money Market Fund of BDO, it earns relatively higher than your savings and time deposit accounts yet it doesn't even have a minimum holding period. This means that you have full access and control over your funds in case of emergencies. (Please note though that experts advise staying invested for at least 6 months to maximize earning potential.) 

3. START AN ONLINE GIG

Upwork, Freeup, and Fiverr are just one of the many freelancing marketplaces available today and it wouldn't hurt to have an online side gig that we can offer to international clients. 

If you have skills in content writing, graphic design, or video editing, then you can work on fixed projects during your free time. I have been doing this for years already and there is really no competition here. Your target clientele is global and there are so many foreign clients who are eager to hire Filipinos for their talent, hard work, and skills. 

Receiving payments is not even a concern because our trusted banks accept international remittances so, your clients can pay you directly through bank deposits. You can even open a US Dollar Savings Account for as low as a $200 initial deposit in BDO. 

Indeed, through innovation and technology, we can definitely make things happen for us where having multiple income streams is no longer just wishful thinking but a reality for ordinary Filipino families. Thanks to our partners like BDO who have been there making ways for every Filipino family since 1968.