Earlier, we posted about social media background checks, and their growing prominence in hiring processes. But, when it comes to hiring or even getting an interview, social media needs to be considered. An individual with a respected industry online presence – active on LinkedIn, participates on industry forums and communities, develops connections, or displays an online portfolio or website of work – has a greater chance of getting noticed. Because resume formats and expectations chance every few years, the Deccan Chronicle asked through an editorial if resumes are still essential.
Are they? Of course. As any jobseeker knows, however, they’re not the only part. Interviews, the cover letter, references, and background checks all play a role in getting a job, and social media presence is now being included.
The internet, from YouTube to cat pictures, is a bastion for individuality and anonymity – but this façade is false. As we saw earlier, anything is fair game, from comments to pictures, for a background check company doing a social media investigation. Deleting your profiles and minimizing your virtual paper trail seem like an obvious solution, but it’s a catch 22: If you have a lesser to no presence on the internet, an employer may think twice about calling you for an interview. Of course, this presence needs to be positive, showing that you have connections and expertise in your field and have control in how you present yourself online.
This, of course, supplements your resume and cannot replace it. Just as background checks have grown in scope and frequency, social media usage in employment – not just for hiring but also on the job – has expanded. Although more corporations are tracking their employees’ activities, part of this seemingly-invasive procedure is monitoring how a company is perceived online. While reputation management is helpful to knocking off negative reviews on sites like Rip-Off Report, employees can still comment negatively about a company on Facebook or Twitter. And the results? According to a piece on Mashable:
• 15 percent have disciplined an employee for violating multimedia sharing / posting policies
• 13 percent of US companies investigated an exposure event involving mobile or Web-based short message services
• 17 percent disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies