The influence of Social Media when hunting for a job in property
We are all talking about Social Media these days, and whether we like it or not, it is here to stay. With its popularity increasing dramatically over the last few years, and sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn continuing to grow, more and more organisations are harnessing its powers to promote their businesses.
Recruitment is just one area where companies are using social networking to their benefit, and it never ceases to amaze us as recruitment consultants how many job seekers are inadvertently reducing their chances of landing their dream job because of their online image.
It comes as quite a surprise to some, but it is a well-documented fact that recruiters use social media to screen candidates daily. But how are they doing this? In a recently conducted survey, hundreds of professionals involved in the hiring process at their company were asked about their use of social networks for screening job applicants. The results of this survey were not overly surprising, but the magnitude of the numbers involved certainly was:
- Over 90% of recruiters use social networking sites to screen prospective employees.
- Nearly 70% of the recruiters surveyed admitted that they had rejected candidates because of what they saw about them on networking sites.
- Interestingly, nearly 70% of the recruiters confirmed that they had hired a candidate because of what they saw about them on a site.
- Nearly 50% of recruiters looked at social networking sites at the initial application stage to screen prospective employees.
Ignoring the fact that employers could potentially be accused of discrimination if it could ever be proved that they hadn’t proceeded with an application based on a candidate’s online profile, what all of this means is that it is now more important than ever that jobseekers think carefully about how they portray themselves on social networking sites. Whether you like it or not, the above confirms that hirers are using social networks to screen job applicants, which means that it is vital that you take the time to carefully manage your image on these types of sites if indeed you are on any of them.
So, how can your online image put an employer off, and more importantly what can you do to make sure you are looked upon favourably? The majority of this is common sense, but the main reasons recruiters reject candidates are because, among others, they: Post inappropriate photos and/or comments, post comments about drinking and drug taking, post negative comments about a previous employer, and post lies about qualifications. On a more positive note, you can increase your chances of securing a job by: Giving a positive impression of your personality and organisational fit, having good references and testimonials posted by others, having a profile supporting your qualifications, showing good communication skills, showing you are a well-rounded candidate, demonstrating any awards and accolades you have received.
