San Francisco, California – SmartRecruiters, the free social recruiting platform, announces the second annual Give Labor Day. This Sept. 3rd, everyone is encouraged to help an unemployed or underemployed friend find a job.
Labor Day has always been a time to remember and celebrate achievement. The United States Department of Labor describes Labor Day’s founding as “a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” However, for millions of us, there isn’t labor to celebrate.
Give Labor Day Volunteers will spend at least fifteen minutes helping job seekers in the following ways:
(1) Facilitate Introductions.
ERE.net, the recruiting intelligence community, reports that referrals are the number one source of hires. Volunteers will give email, LinkedIn, phone, or in person introductions between job seeking candidates and employees of companies where the candidate may want to work.
(2) Improve a Candidate’s Online Presence.
Mashable reports that 69% of employers have rejected a candidate because of what they found about the candidate on a social networking site, and 68% of employers have hired a candidate because of what they found on a social networking site. Volunteers will review a candidate’s LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or blog, and give constructive criticism to make the candidate more appealing to employers.
(3) Give Resume, Cover Letter, and Interview Counseling. Volunteers will serve as a traditional career counselor, reviewing resumes, editing cover letters, and conducting mock interviews.
“Last year I spent a few hours talking to job seekers within my network,” said Jerome Ternynck, SmartRecruiters CEO. “I made an intro that ended up landing my friend a job, and personally, I found the experience very rewarding.”
The preparations of this initiative have already been covered by the DirectEmployers Association, the Department of Labor’s Faith Based Jobs Clubs, and Blogging4Jobs.com. Give Labor Day is the mobilization of volunteers to help the job seekers across the country on Labor Day.
Give Labor Day will continue each year to make job assistance a social responsibility of Labor Day as community service is a social responsibility of Martin Luther King Day.
The SmartRecruiters team itself will also be opening its SOMA office to all job seekers, volunteering hiring expertise from 2 to 5 pm at 56 Tehama Street, to help locals find satisfying work.
Volunteers and candidates are invited to share progress and success stories at Facebook.com/GiveLabor or the Twitter hashtag #GiveLabor.
