Old-school rules – Facebook won’t get you a job

• It’s what’s on paper that counts – old school CVs still rule
• Nearly a third of HR staff are using social media to find talent
• Traditional resume remains most effective recruitment tool

DON’T throw away your CV just yet, because your treasured Facebook profile won’t be enough to get you that dream job.

A new survey has found the traditional resume remains the most effective recruitment tool, despite the growing use of social media websites to verify candidate information.

A poll of 200 human resources professionals by specialist recruitment firm Robert Half found 38 per cent believe it’s unlikely social media profiles on sites like Facebook and Linkedin will replace the CV anytime soon.

A further 23 per cent ruled out the notion completely.

“Despite popular belief that a social media profile is the new CV, we’re finding that traditional CVs continue to be an important and a valuable part of the application process,” Robert Half director Andrew Brushfield said today.

Still, 34 per cent of respondents admitted to using social media profiles to determine the suitability of job candidates.

“The growth of social media has increased the number of channels at an employer’s disposal, and therefore jobseekers need to make sure that they are presenting a professional profile across the board – both online and offline,” Mr Brushfield said.

Nearly a third of HR staff are using social media to find talent, while a fifth are using such channels to communicate with candidates.

All of which means jobseekers need to pay attention to what’s on their profile page.

While people might feel the urge to ‘like’ a certain brand or complain about an organisation, Mr Brushfield said candidates need to consider how their online behaviour may be viewed by a potential employer.