Job Candidates’ Online Presences: How Much Should a Recruiter Dig?
As more recruiters and employers make a habit of researching job candidates online, it raises the question of what online information is worth reviewing.
A Microsoft survey of U.S. hiring managers and job recruiters in December 2009 found that 79 percent of them had reviewed online information about job applicants, and 70 percent of U.S. hiring managers surveyed indicated that they had rejected candidates based on online information.
For candidates, this means that they could miss out on a job they’re well-qualified for and have no idea why, as most employers don’t state upfront whether they research candidates online.
For recruitment agents, this means that job finalists presented to a client might be researched online by the hiring manager. Arguably, it’s better to know in advance what “digital dirt” an employer might find in order to anticipate questions and avoid presenting a candidate who might be rejected based on his or her online presence.
Many recruiters feel an obligation to vet candidates as thoroughly as possible, including through Internet sources, before presenting them to a client. One U.S.-based executive search firm owner said she thinks it’s just another part of the vetting process that recruiters and researchers should perform as part of their due diligence.
Internet research on a candidate could include looking up the person on Google, LinkedIn and Facebook, and comparing dates and details to look for discrepancies. For example, a date listed in a press release that differs from a date on LinkedIn could raise questions that the candidate will need to explain.
However, looking at a candidate on a site like Facebook can be a waste of time because the information can be largely irrelevant, some say. One U.K.-based search consultant who mostly works on contingency said she doesn’t find it a good use of time to research candidates extensively on social networks, but might do that for a retainer client.
Likewise, the practice of researching candidates’ personal information raises questions about fairness and privacy. Some say information is fair game if a candidate has put it online, but others argue that it becomes too easy for an employer to reject a job seeker based on information that isn’t pertinent to their application.
While online information can be helpful, recruiters say the focus is still on reference checks as the best source of information on a candidate’s suitability.
Meanwhile, job seekers should be aware of what information about them is online and keep in mind that employers and head hunters might look at it.
Here are a few tips for managing your online reputation:
- Search for yourself on Google to see what information comes up.
- Adjust the privacy settings on any social networking profiles if you don’t want employers to see the information on there.
- Be careful about putting any information about yourself online. Once online, it can spread or be used in ways you didn’t expect.
Recruiting Trends – Social Media as a Business Building and Recruitment Tool for Headhunters
Last month’s Social Recruiting Summit, #socialrecruiting, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, provided an abundance of insight into the use of social media in recruiting, both for attracting candidates and for business development.
In one session, headhunter Paul DeBettignies spoke about his use of social media for marketing himself. DeBettignies, a Minnesota-based IT recruiter, says he thinks he survived this recession better than the previous one because of his social media presence, which includes his blog and Twitter.
DeBettignies said he doesn’t make cold calls anymore. Instead, he e-mails corporate HR representatives and includes links to his social media. Later, he checks his blog statistics to see if anyone from the target company has looked at it, and if they have, he knows it won’t be a cold call when he contacts the company again.
In another session, a panel of social media enthusiasts from Best Buy shared an inside perspective on the company’s widespread use of social media. Brian Kohlbeck, who leads the company’s Finance MBA Recruiting Program, spoke about how his program has been using blogging, webinars, web events and live chats to provide information to prospective candidates about what it’s like to work for Best Buy.
The Best Buy Finance Blog is a key component of the program’s social media push. Kohlbeck says the efforts have brought in new hires, although the company doesn’t have trouble attracting enough candidates anyway; instead, the intent seems to be to provide a better candidate experience.
Note: We couldn’t make it to Minnesota for this event, so thanks to the folks at ERE.net, who organized this conference, for streaming the event live on the web. ERE has archived video of the sessions here.
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Will Virtual Job Interviews Become the Norm?
Virtual job interviews are being touted as a revolutionary way to save time and money in the global hiring process, but can talking to a candidate through a computer screen be a suitable replacement for a face-to-face interview?
Recruiting professionals predict that the use of online video conferencing for job interviews will grow, but face-to-face interviews are not yet a thing of the past.
Terri Davis, a U.S.-based senior recruiter for Decision Toolbox, says that when she does international recruiting, a client will sometimes start with online video interviews and fly in only the finalists.
One of the key benefits is that it speeds up the interviewing process.
Sarah Edwards, a technology search consultant based in the U.K., says she recently had a candidate in Africa who did an online interview for a job in Europe. The interview normally would have been face-to-face, but this was faster, Edwards says.
However, due to the candidate in Africa not having access to a quality, high-speed Internet connection, the quality wasn’t good enough using a free online service. Instead, the candidate did the interview at a video conferencing facility, which cost about €500.
Edwards, Davis and other industry professionals predict that the use of online video interviews will grow, but in-person interviews will remain important for certain types of professions. For example, giving an engineering candidate a plant tour might be important to an employer, Davis says.
Getting a job is like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle
You might be unemployed today, not too impressed that your efforts didn’t mean much to your past employer and now you are left in the dark and feel really awful.
These symptoms are normal and not foreign at all to anyone under similar circumstances.
Use your energies wisely, put the past behind you, and think forward!!
The reality is you can bring out your best by picking up the pieces individually and working out how to put it together. This is no different to solving a jigsaw puzzle.
Have a clear objective before you and that’s like the “picture” you are trying to solve.
No Sponsor No Job – Dubai
Yes, everyone wants an opportunity to go live and work in beautiful Dubai. Don’t get excited just yet! The reality is that like every other country there are local laws, rules and regulations you must familiarize yourself with first.
Working in Dubai sounds like an opportunity of a lifetime for some. If you want to make this happen, do some research beforehand, don’t just hop on a plane and go there. Unless you want to learn things the hard way!!
One thing you should definitely know is that “No Sponsor No Job”. To be able to work in Dubai, a sponsor is required, they maybe an individual, company or any other acceptable entity authorized by the government.
Keep an eye on this space for more on Dubai.
Here are some jobs courtesy of Asia Pacific HR Solutions;
The power of Branding Yourself for your next job search
Branding is a term often used for marketing products and services. Now, we are living in a different era, so when we think about branding, it’s not just about products and services but people as well!
Like most things in life, you have choices, and most times they are competing with one another. The same is true, when you go on a job search, you are like a needle in a haystack. You want a job badly, want to be noticed, but don’t know how?
Just imagine the thousands, millions, or so people feeling the same way as you do. You cannot just show your good points, strengths and personal attributes on paper. The traditional CV/Resume is becoming a thing of the past.
Person A
Person B
Person C
You have three persons A, B and C above can you tell the difference? Well think about each one and soon you will get to learn a lot more about branding in the upcoming blog. In the meantime, you should get to know a bit about Social Media and how that impacts you.
