Social media is abuzz with a savvy hashtag which aims to bring employers and job seekers together – #JobSeekersSA.
Most job seekers never see the thousands of jobs advertised online and in print in South Africa every month – the hashtag simplifies things by narrowing the search to available vacancies, bringing them together on a Twitter search page.
By searching #JobSeekersSA on Twitter, recruiters can find a sea of tweets from unemployed graduates and the skills they offer, while jobseekers can search for specific vacancies and apply.
The hashtag is the idea of social media specialist Menzi Ngcobo, a University of KwaZulu-Natal graduate.
The phenomenon started with a tweet from Ngcobo on his @MrMenziN Twitter page on Tuesday.
“I have an idea. Everyone looking for a job use this hashtag #JobSeekersSA. This will make it easier to trace and build up,” he tweeted. The hashtag trended nationally this week.
He challenged the @JobVineSA and @JobMail ports to embrace the hashtag and they soon responded, using the hashtag with their new Twitter posts.
Job-seeking is a struggle Ngcobo knows all too well, having spent two years unemployed after graduating with a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree.
“I went through a lot of stress, I was in denial because I had been smooth sailing all my life. Now that I had earned my degree, my life was crumbling down. I gave up looking for jobs for a while just to work on myself and rebuild my confidence again.
“Having noticed that there were many people, particularly on Twitter, who were experiencing the same problem, I created the hashtag,” he said.
Destiny Man and Destiny Woman magazines have also jumped on the hashtag, sharing important advice with their readers using Twitter.
Ngcobo explained how using the #JobSeekersSA hashtag works: “Job seekers can use the hashtag to advertise themselves, and recruiters can filter through the tweets to find candidates, while anyone can post advice. I’m overwhelmed by the response, especially from media houses, which didn’t hesitate to join the movement.”
By searching the #JobSeekersSA hashtag, people can see the available vacancies and apply for the jobs. Those who are a bit tech savvy can can also search by using the hashtag and adding a desired job category to filter for specific jobs, for example “#JobSeekersSA +Journalism”.
Many have already found the hashtag useful, like @Nthabee_seng, who tweeted: “#JobSeekersSA finally a useful hashtag for unemployed graduates like me. (I’ve) lost count of how many jobs I’ve applied for thus far. So much for a Bachelor of Environmental Sciences degree #JobSeekersSA”.
Entrepreneur and founder of JobVine SA, Joubert Botha, whose company has backed the hashtag, tweeted: “Behind every successful person there are plenty of unsuccessful years. Don’t give up! #JobSeekersSA”.