Graduates use Facebook to network in new job

Students who joined the T-Mobile graduate-recruitment scheme in 2007 were encouraged to use Facebook to network and socialise with other new employees, it has emerged.

According to Personnel Today, the mobile phone operator has taken a fresh approach to web 2.0 applications.

Penny Davis, Head of Human Resources Operations at T-Mobile, told the publication that the website was used to help ease graduates into the world of work.

'We set up a group on Facebook in May for the 2007 intake so that they could network informally with each other and the T-Mobile recruitment team before their September start date, enabling them to get to know each other and air concerns in a friendly, supportive environment,' she said.

She added that T-Mobile is a 'forward-thinking employer' and the company is keen to understand and observe how such technologies can impact upon the business.

Yngve Traberg of ClickAJob commented that social-networking sites can be a necessary investment for employers to make.

'In one fairly easy step, recruitment shifts from the chore of filling a new job to engaging in a meaningful and ongoing relationship,' he stated.