The way of looking for a job and the way the recruiters look for new employees is changing…
As the article we read this week explained, a lot of people are unemployed (6.5%) and “there will be 1.5 million college graduates this year”. The most important fact on which I am going to focus today is : ” One in five hiring managers conduct background checks using social networks (primarily Facebook), while one in ten college admissions officers do the same.”
Is it a good or a bad news? I do not know yet… Until now all my managers were great and fun people so they were more playing with me when they were speaking about my Facebook pictures!
However, when I will look for a full time job after grad school i might change the privacy setting and/or delete some of my pictures…!
In fact, I spoke last year with two different directors of human resources of different organizations and they both had the same speech about social media content.
They actually look for Facebook pages (or other social media) before offering an interview.
In a way, they told me they strongly like to get to know the candidate in his/her “true” personal life before hiring him/her.
Everybody (or almost everybody) is trying during interviews to give the best of himself/herself but with social media we cannot have any secrets and everything we have done can be known by potential employers!
Today, most of recruiters are looking for a personality and not just skills. If what they can see in the pictures does not bother them but fit with the personality they are looking for, they will call the applicant, if not, they will not waste their time by offering them an interview.
My personal opinion is quite different. I think personal life and professional life are two separate worlds. My personality is festive as I am with my friends but I am also very professional and responsible while I am working.
So I think companies should look at special social media like LinkedIn or our professional Facebook profile but not our personal one. This other article explained it well by saying “Devote a Facebook page to your professional life”.
So to conclude my blog this week, I can say that yes for me some of social media tools can hurt our professional life. Our private life does not affect our boss or our future boss.
However, social media, as LinkedIn or other networking sites dedicated to our professional life, are very good tools to use. It shows our experiences, academic career, interest and it is a platform to exchange with (potential) employers. We actually should make the most of it and create connections with the companies we like most. So we will be known by them and we will be able to let them know easily when we will be looking for a job.
Great insight on personal life-vs- professional life! I compleltey agree with the ability to have a fun and willing personality while out with friends, but at the same time have the professional personanlity while on the job. Most jobs encourage you to show pictures of yourself being socialable through these social media outlest, because this shows both honesty and your ablity to network with friends. I had a friend that graduated college with a 4.0 GPA but lacked the involvement of most others. Along with that, his social media sites looked similar to one of a caveman. He lost the job to another prospect beause of his lack of involvement with others and they considered him to be un-socialable.
ReplyDeleteAlong with being professional, it is hard to remember that we are associated with the firm we work for at all times. With that being said, we must create a positive brand image with them throughout our personal lives. Great points on the connections made from a professional life and a personal life.
With the condition of the economy and the job market, you can't risk inappropriate things being put on social media sites about you. There is a greater need than ever to come across professional. I agree that there should be a difference from your personal and professional life. Everyone has their own personality and not all of us are the same. I like to go out with friends and have a good time but I must remember to act in an appropriate manner so that I am not risking things in my professional world. I think if there are things you don't want your co-workers or professional friends to see, don't post it for the world to see.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your point about having a separate personal and professional life. I mentioned that in my blog as well. However, it is important to remember that although this is our opinion, it is not the way the world works. I found it interesting how employers actually look to see if you can function in social situations and have a personality, rather than just searching for ways they can catch you misbehaving. Insightful post!
ReplyDeleteOne aspect of this that maybe could be considered as well is the fact that you never know what potential employers are your "friend" on your private facebook page and how what they see will affect their opinion of you as a future employee. It seems to me that in some ways people who have LinkedIn are able to use that as their more public and professional site and facebook as more of a private one.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Linkedin is the best place to build your "brand". Professionals look to other professionals for connections and advice on the job market. Facebook and other mediums have become a feeding ground for stupidity in a lot of instances. Just look at the example of the Congressman from New York. Stupid acts usually ends up badly, as in this case.
ReplyDelete