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Networking through social media may be the 21st century method of job hunting, according to several media experts.

Zach Stemerick| THE CHRONICLE

During Social Media Week, a worldwide celebration of online networking from Sept. 2429, several seminars around Chicago were devoted to discussing and exploring various social media outlets. At a Sept. 26 event hosted by DePaul University, a group of employers, entrepreneurs and the public gathered to discuss the importance of social media in the workplace.

The one way that I believe social media can create social good is to facilitate social good, said moderator and DePaul adjunct faculty member Douglas Miller.

Much of the conference focused on the importance of building an online presence through the development of a portfolio.

All [social media] is a scalable way to leverage our relationships to better our lives, said Regan Caruthers, vice president of PathBrite.com, an online portfolio host.

According to an August study by the Pew Research Institute, 20 percent of the U.S. adult population uses LinkedIn, a professional social networking website frequented by both job hunters and employers. The site functions as an online resum and portfolio host for users to make connections with coworkers and other professionals.

One of the biggest benefits of social media is the change in how employees fill positions, according to Jordan Ho, a digital strategist for Chicago-based promotion company Zcalo Group. Ho explained it has transformed the classified advertising system to one in which employers directly contact people to fill positions.

At some level, the social media is there to humanize the resum, Ho said.

Megan Gebhart, who works for the freelancer social website Elance.com, spoke about how networking sometimes gets a negative connotation when users do it simply to obtain contacts or resources, which doesnt facilitate relationships.

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