Unless you’ve had your head firmly stuck in the sand over the past three months or so, you would have noticed that everyone is going on about the latest social network that is set to “take the world by storm”. We’re not talking about Facebook, Twitter, and no, not even the still relatively new Google Plus – the latest boy/girl wonder site in question is none other than Pinterest.

What on earth is “Pinterest”, you ask? Well, there’s a very strong clue in the name – “pin”, as in drawing pins and pinboards, “interest” as in things that interest you! Pinterest is essentially a giant digital pinboard disguised as a social networking site. On this forum you can publicly share the contents of the pinboard that would formerly have had a prime position in your bedroom as perhaps your “dream board”, or in your office staff canteen as a means of sharing useful work information.

At the time of writing this post, I received no less than six different emails with the word Pinterest in the headline. Part of this influx is down to my love of – and therefore subscriptions of – all things social media. However, one particular email caught my attention the most because it posed the question of whether jobseekers could benefit from Pinterest.

Can jobseekers really benefit from Pinterest?

This got me thinking, well is it possible? Could this upgraded distant second cousin twice removed of Flickr somehow help you get a job? To my surprise, lots of jobseekers appear to think so! If you head over to Pinterest (by the way, it’s somewhat exclusive, invite only, but it’s very easy to get an invite – just ask someone who’s already in, like me, but ask nicely)….and type in “resume” or “CV” in the search box, you will come up with hundreds of results of jobseekers who are already taking advantage of this new platform.

Typing "resume" in the search bar will bring up jobseekers using Pinterest to showcase their CVs

Granted the majority of online CVs hosted on Pinterest at the moment is by arty types who know their way around images, if you’re someone looking to work in a creative industry such as advertising or media in a non-design scope, you may want to consider getting interested in Pinterest for two reasons:

1. Exposure, exposure, exposure – in this day and age it’s all about exposure. The more you can expose yourself (lawsuit disclaimer: not literally) to potential employers wherever they are, the more likely you are to decrease the time you spend in the job market.
2. Cutting-edge, baby* – (*best said in an American “surf board” accent) Yep, it’s all about being cutting-edge too. They say the early bird catches the best worms (okay, so I added a slight Mildred spin to it) and in much the same way, early adopters – whether it be technology or social media – often have the advantage of not just appearing extremely cool and forward-thinking among peers, but it’s a sure-fire way of standing out above the crowd. The best brands are always a few steps ahead of their competitors – learn from them, be cutting-edge and leave your job competitors behind.

If you’re in a non-creative sector like IT or finance, you have a good excuse to hold back on Pinterest for now but don’t go too far – if the predictions and trends are anything to go by, it won’t be long before you too will be summoned to this colourful world of pinboards and imaginations let loose.

• You can find me on Pinterest here

• If you want an invite, drop me a note in the comments box and I’ll let you in my gang
  

• If you need help with your CV, grab a copy of 7 Keys to a Winning CV from Amazon, or head over to my CV makeover page