The value of a job recommendation has always been a little questionable but nowadays with job search gone social, risky recommendations are becoming more common, or are they? What’s wrong with recommending a friend for a job? Well traditionally, nothing, assuming the friend is qualified since your name is generally on the line if the recommendation doesn’t work out. Like say if the newbie turns out to be a bum. What about with social media job search, are the risks really greater? That depends, of course, on the players so to speak.

If the players are credible then job recommendations via social media job search are no different than traditional friend of a friend recommendations. What does credible mean? Credible means -- do you simply recommend someone because they asked? Do you recommend someone because of monetary interests i.e. how much cash goes in your pocket? Do you recommend someone because they are qualified, hungry and need an opportunity? If the latter is the case, than you might very well be a credible source for a job recommendation. So what does social media job search have to do with this then? Since job search via social media tends to break down the barriers of “who you know”, it’s a little more likely to come in contact with an unknown person which increases the risk of a merit-less job recommendation.

Undoubtedly, social media job search is the current best thing since sliced bread. So if we want to keep it that way, the challenge is to provide an environment where those hungry for opportunity can expand their base of “who you know”, while at the same time ensuring the social media job search forum maintains credibility. So with job search gone social, it’s more important than ever to keep a watchful eye on risky job recommendations. Then again, aren’t all job recommendations risky? You never really know how the candidate is going to work out but you get the heat if it doesn’t work out. The things we do for friends, right…

So you like social media right? You know Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Mashable and so on. The question is whether these sites are all talk and no jobs. Better stated, do any of these sites provide and value in terms of job search? Well the trend to social media is a fairly new one, so maybe the verdict is still pending but from a jury standpoint point the long verdict tends to signal good news for social media job search. If you look at how many more new social media sites continue to pop up, it further suggests that the game is changing for better or worse to social media.

What do you get out of social media? More importantly from a job hunt perspective, what exactly is social media job search? As you know, those are rather lengthy topics which I trust you can explore further through reading the article mentiioned above. For the summary folks out there, here’s my take on social media job search. First off, social media itself is about people – people connecting and sharing. People like to be connected to other people and share everything from pictures to career goals. Now that’s where social media job search comes in to play. What social media does from a career standpoint is provide a forum of warm contacts where you get center stage to voice your concerns, needs, wants and aspirations as far as career and job search goes. In short, social media is about being “open” like the “open web” concept or much like the “open source code” movement.

Of course “open” is good right? Well it can be if used in the most advantageous way. For example, why would you use Facebook or Twitter or social whatever and limit your circle to people you already know? That doesn’t expand your reach much and doesn’t really give social media a real chance to prove its value. Smart people seek opportunities to expand their social and business networks every chance they get. Why not let social media become the default platform for doing so? Otherwise, social media is undoubtedly destined to end up scraped like the new Christmas toy that finds its way to the pile after a short period of time. So ultimately the question of whether social media is all talk and no jobs really depends on you. You have people and information in the same place at the same time – hint hint.

The job market is somewhat stinky right now…that’s just calling a spade a spade. So for those of you that are still looking, it might be time to upgrade your job search tools. Why you ask? It’s a no brainer - jobs are in short supply, which means more competition for the few existing job openings. Increased competition means you need to start thinking about working smarter. That’s where good job search tools come into play. What good is a tool anyway, if you still have to do most of the work? Not much help right…you betcha.

The smart job seeker realizes that the new wave is social networking. If you’re not in the social loop, you’re missing out on hidden job opportunities. It’s that plain and simple. If you want to get hired you absolutely must adapt to the changed job search landscape. As far as social is concerned, that means plugging into to social networks and meeting new people, building relationships and in doing so allowing a new wave of opportunities to surface that you didn’t even know existed. After all, many employers don’t even post job openings and for those employers that do, they tend to look for referrals from current employees. So while you’re sitting at Starbucks downloading all of that new free premium content, (you knew Starbucks had this new promotion right?) remember the person sitting next to you could very well be privy to job openings at their place of business - that could be right down your alley. Even if the opportunity isn’t consistent with your background maybe you know of a friend that might be interested. Hey - that’s why they call it social networking.

So the mantra is 3 months or more and still looking means you need to upgrade your job search tools. While you are at it, get job search tweets for your Android phone and stay connected while you stay on the go. Get with it; this is the smartphone takeover age. Work smarter not harder or at least let your smartphone work harder. Lol.

Like most of us you’ve probably heard about the new IPhone 4 which has already sold over 3 million devices despite some complaints about cell phone signal quality. Oh, did I mention that Apple’s best product launch ever, the Iphone 4, is taking place while the economy is down - still somewhat in a recession? Or at least the tail end of the Great Recession. So what does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Well how about jobs? That’s right, with Apple’s Iphone 4, Motorola’s Droid X and now the Droid 2, the mobile technology market is not only keeping people on the payroll but adding more head count.

So from the looks of economic and consumer buying trends it looks like the Information Technology Industry is poised to be the next economic savior. Sorry Construction and Housing industry you had the last wave, sit back relax and let the good folks in Silicon Valley make things happen. Of course, Google is a key player in the growth of the mobile industry as well as a huge employer. Right now with Google’s success in the Android operating system (Android 2.2 has just landed) coupled with Google’s interest in broadband infrastructure, you can expect the hiring trends in Technology to continue.

So needless to say if Information Technology is how you make your living you’re probably smiling from ear to ear. If not, guess what? This is a perfect time to consider IT as a career choice. With unemployment levels still stubborn in many states, there’s still a wealth of grant funds available to cover most if not all of training to enter IT as a new field. One best kept secret is the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program which is sponsored by the Feds but administered by your state of residence. So even though the economy is stubborn at the movement, sales are up for the Iphone 4 and the Droid series of phones. So no more excuses. With Google, Apple, Motorola, Microsoft and others on the move, the mobile technology market is where it’s at which invariably means jobs, jobs and more jobs.