As social media usage and smartphone ownership rise, Wilmington City Council member Darius Brown is hoping a new online tool will improve access to available jobs in the city.
The 3rd District councilman has worked for two years to launch Wilmington’s version of TweetMyJobs.com – a web-based platform that uses Twitter, Facebook and other social media applications to recruit employees.
The service is free to anyone - a student looking for an internship or a part-time job, a professional executive or a retiree looking for supplemental income.
When job seekers visit the website, they can enter a list of skill keywords related to their field - and social networks they wish to be contacted through when a job that matches those skills becomes available.
Brown calls TweetMyJobs a useful tool in addressing both economic development and unemployment in Wilmington.
“For us to really be aggressive in how we create economic opportunity here in the city of Wilmington, we have to embrace technology and be innovative in how connect residents to those opportunities.”
Brown said the city will cover maintenance costs of the website so companies can post a range of job listings for no cost.
TweetMyJobs will help those companies to determine ideal hires through customized recruitment campaigns - and assist in building a social network brand that appeals to those candidates.
Jae Sung - TweetMyJobs vice president of client success - says the platform’s model provides more companies with better access to job seekers.
“One of the big benefits is that it’s a free platform and they’re able to use technology that’s not easily attainable for a small and medium sized business for social recruiting and mobile.”
The company has had success in other cities like Atlanta and Houston.
Councilman Brown began his effort to launch the web portal in Wilmington two years ago – embracing social media and 21st century technology to connect residents with available jobs in the city and to reduce the skills gap of city residents.
The city’s 7.4% unemployment rate is the lowest since May 2008 – but is still two points above both the statewide and national averages.
