New social networking site boosts new careers

Career-seekers have harnessed the power of online social networking, and so have employers. I recently commented on the Twitter phenomenon as it relates to job searching, and I envision the day—not too far in the future—when some jobs will be listed on, and filled through, social network media alone. Besides Twitter, job-seekers can take advantage of Facebook and LinkedIn for networking and job-hunting. This week, another one launched called OneCubicle.com. It differs from Facebook and LinkedIn in focus; while those two are broader professional networking sites, OneCubicle.com is more tightly focused on people that are just starting their careers.

The concept is a good one and very timely, since unemployment is high and rising steadily. And I don’t know if it was intentional, but launching the new site at commencement time seems quite apropos, as after this month we will have a whole new crop of fresh college graduates with no job prospects, serving coffee and waiting tables.

Of course, that’s always been the case to one extent or another, depending on the degree—I graduated from UCSC with a degree in Literature and Creative Writing, and the local coffeehouses there came to expect applications from many of my classmates with similar degrees about this time every year. Santa Cruz no doubt still has the most well-educated barristas and busboys in the world.

But there’s a big difference today. With a degree like mine, you don’t really expect to find a job (although that’s not what you tell your parents). Today, graduates with degrees in business and more traditional career-focused studies are facing the same dilemma, working to their dismay, alongside all the Liberal Arts majors at low-end jobs.

But regardless of your degree, the social networking space is rapidly replacing traditional venues such as cold-calling alumni and your rich dad’s friends on the phone. And OneCubicle.com looks like a good place to start.

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