With the vast majority of employers turning to online recruitment processes and social media sites in a bid to find new candidates, jobseekers who don’t consider their online profiles could be losing out.
A Cardiff-based recruitment firm found that, whilst 92.8 per cent of jobseekers in Wales go online to look for job opportunities, just 5.2 per cent are using social media sites to assist with their job search.
The job hunters are also largely failing to consider how their online reputations and profiles – known as ‘netrep’ – on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, could be interpreted by potential employers. This failure to consider the importance of how one comes across online could be putting job prospects in jeopardy.
It is thought that 60 per cent of all employers will search for a potential candidate’s name on search engine Google before inviting them along for an interview.
Meanwhile, 41 per cent of HR managers in firms across the country are said to have rejected candidates as a direct result of their online profiles, even if they initially thought of them as extremely promising.
Geoff Newman, an expert in online recruitment from Recruitment Genius agrees with these findings.
“If people saw my Facebook profile it would probably cause more harm than good. Candidates have to remember they are creating an indelible mark they may grow to regret. Whilst its dubious the legalities of screening candidates Facebook profile, it inevitably happens and is almost impossible to prove. Hence always err on the side of caution.”
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