Warning! Some large firms now automatically Google applicants and check what’s on the web about them, writes JOE.ie careers expert Eoghan McDermott.
In a buyer’s market, the first thing buyers do is seek a method of simplifying their task. They look through the letters of application, application forms and CVs for the disqualifiers – the factors which allow them to dump this particular applicant without reading further or interviewing him or her.
Don’t bother applying to one of the bigger firms if you know you lack one of the key qualifiers they require, you’re just wasting your time. Whereas a smaller firm may be attracted by some peripheral qualification you have or by the cleverness of your cover letter or the impressiveness of your referees.
Computer cull
The computer-cull in the larger firms won’t even register such special pleading, so it makes no sense to employ it. The truly tragic thing is when job applicants assist the cull by gratuitously providing potential employers with data detrimental to themselves. That happens when you have a commitment to social networking that outweighs your long-term commitment to having a great career.
Some large firms now automatically Google applicants and check what’s on the web about them. This means you need to be careful with Facebook and Twitter.
As someone who prepares people for job interviews I have to replicate the process an employer goes through before they interview a job applicant, so that I can give every client the most exhaustive and realistic preparation they could get anywhere. Which means that every CV that arrives on my desk gets a quick Google.
A young guy came in for a job interview session a few months ago, for example, and was excellent. We finished the interview assessment, I finalised the DVD we had recorded so he could take it with him and do some more work at home.
Me: “What about your Facebook page?”
Him: “What about it?”
Me: “Lots of comments on it that any potential employer would find inappropriate – unless you want to be a bouncer in a lapdancing club.”
Silence.
Me: “Some of the pictures, too. More or less showing you engaging in, eh, lewd conduct”.’
If he was serious about his job hunt, he either needed to delete his profile or do sweeping edits on it. Although even the sweeping edits may not be enough. There should be a warning on each of these sites: “What you post on these sites may be used against you in a recruitment process.”
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when joining a community online is not reviewing and refining the privacy settings for their profile. Many social networks require you to establish your privacy settings. For example, a recommendation I gave to a client looking for work in London was to translate his name into its Irish version on Facebook because he didn’t want to be found by any potential employer.
Benefits
However, social networks can actually be of benefit to a job hunter. A site like LinkedIn is a great avenue for people to find jobs and get interviews. There is a benefit of allowing your profile to be available for others to find – lots of companies are now using LinkedIn as a recruitment tool.
Being digitally distinctive is becoming more important if you want to stand out in a crowded marketplace. But make sure that when people search for you online that the content they find is relevant and related to what you want to be known for professionally.
If in doubt don’t post photographs, videos or content to the web that you would not be happy to be found by your current or a potential employer or would not want to appear on the front page of the national newspapers.
As you begin to post content to your profile online, take the time to consider what you want to be remembered for in relation to your personal brand (in other words your reputation). If you are a marketing manager, for example, can you share articles and insights or even recommendations for books or events that are relevant to your expertise, which will act as a reminder for people and show case that you are keeping your own skills and professional development up to-date.
And remember to use ‘key words’ in your profile online – as the social network is online, people will be able to search for you using words that represent your profession or job title. LinkedIn for example allows you to write a short summary, so make sure that your summary passes the 10 second test – so that when someone reads it they can quickly understand what you do.
There is one final option – create two versions of yourself online. This is quite straightforward, entirely legal and a great way to allow you to have a profile for work and a profile for fun. Use your correct full name for the “work” version and a nickname or some variation on your actual name that won’t be spotted by a search engine as matching your actual name for the fun one.
And never forget which one you are posting to.
If you have a question about your job or career that Eoghan could help you with, why not email JOE at shout@joe.ie?
Eoghan McDermott is Head of The Careers Clinic in The Communications Clinic and is the author of The Career Doctor- How to Get and Keep the Job You Want.
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