It's news to no one that social media is changing the recruitment landscape: names like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have been on the lips of many top bloggers so often that they might as well be tattooed there.

But more is changing than just the ways we source and relate to candidates. A recent article in The Toronto Star begins, "The last time Canada went through a recession, there was no Facebook, no high-speed Internet access and no online chat rooms. Email was in its infancy. That meant public perceptions were shaped largely by economists, politicians and pollsters. The people who were hurting were seldom heard."

But social media is about so much more than being heard.

On Facebook, there's a group for pretty much anything you can name (within the boundaries of the terms of service, of course) -- and sure enough, there among the groups advocating taping bacon to cats and preparedness plans for the zombie apocalypse are everything from support and discussion groups for the unemployed, to industry- and role-specific groups where members may share information on how to find, apply for, and retain jobs.

On Twitter it's the same: in 140 characters or less, job seekers are not only commiserating, but sharing information and resources. New job sites. Open roles, companies who are hiring. Names and email addresses of people to contact.

These job seekers aren't just "being heard": they're being empowered.