Social Media – Employers become 007!
Social Media – Employers become 007!Watch what you put on the net!
Are you aware that the ability to get your next job may be impacted by what you’re putting on your Facebook or tweeting about. Perhaps you run a blog where you make your political beliefs well known. Are you surprised that in the age of free speech and lack of privacy (well even Mark Zuckerberg says privacy is dead).
29% of candidates are researched on Facebook 26% use Linkedin 21% use MySpace 11% use blogs 7% use Twitter
Now in some circumstances I can understand the need to search candidates in this manner. For example do they bad mouth fellow employees or management, what about if their job handles sensitive data (whether that be government or competitive intelligence). Well come to think about it – the British Government does a great job of losing our personal information (on our behalf) on a regular basis (see related links).
“Social networking is a great way to make connections with potential job opportunities and promote your personal brand across the Internet,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “Make sure you are using this resource to your advantage by conveying a professional image and underscoring your qualifications.”
Quote from Career Builder (see related links)
Remember that the internet is public (in most circumstances), people aren’t that tenacious about updating their privacy permissions on any social network so be warned that the person that may be looking at your profile may just be that one to give (or deny you) that next job. On the CareersBuilder post, Haefner gives five dos and donts.
1. DO clean up your digital dirt BEFORE you begin your job search. Remove any photos, content and links that can work against you in an employer’s eyes.
2. DO consider creating your own professional group on sites like Facebook or Brightfuse.com to establish relationships with thought leaders, recruiters and potential referrals.
3. DO keep gripes offline. Keep the content focused on the positive, whether that relates to professional or personal information. Make sure to highlight specific accomplishments inside and outside work.
4. DON’T forget others can see your friends, so be selective about who you accept as friends. Monitor comments made by others. Consider using ‘block comments’ feature or setting to your profile to ‘private’ so only designated friends can view it.
5. DON’T mention your job search if you’re still employed.
Quote from Career Builder (see related links)
Related Links
Social Media – A Boon or Bust for candidates and Employers! – 17/03/10
Social Media – Career Builder – Researching Candidates on Social Networking Sites – 19/08/09
Hi,
The advent of social media has revolutionized the way in which individuals seek out employment opportunities. Gone are the days of writing and physically submitting a job application letter, then hoping that by some stroke of luck you will get a reply.
Couldn’t agree more, Miles. Lack of foresight in this area is something that really irritates me. I’ve seen people on Facebook (with non-customised privacy settings) post things like “I hate my crappy job”, “Good thing my colleagues can’t see how much time I spend on Facebook” and “I think my boss killed my fish” and then whine when they’re caught out.
Remember the case of the Israeli soldier who posted details of an upcoming mission online?
Where’s the common sense? That’s all it takes to prevent shooting yourself in the foot, surely. Just think, “My dear old mum or my boss could read this” before every post.
And perhaps it’s not just employees who should think before they use social media: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7496740/Schoolgirl-sacked-from-cafe-job-on-Facebook.html