How Are You Perceived on Your Social Network?
By: Natalie Raemsch, Human Resource Intern
January 20, 2012
When hiring new employees, what is one of the first thing employers do? Many employers go straight to the World Wide Web to scan the applicants' social networking profile(s). Social networks have become an integral part of today's lifestyle. There are over 800 million active Facebook members, over 250 million Twitter members, and LinkedIn has over 110 million members. Social networking websites function as online communities of internet users. The sites allow people to meet others with similar interests and provide an avenue to gather first-hand information, meet new people, and share experiences.
There is a "downside" to these websites, however. Imagine, for instance, posting a picture of yourself in a slightly inappropriate Halloween costume on your Facebook or Twitter profile. Or possibly, having your employment hinge on whether a hiring manager agrees with your political views, recreational activities, or philosophies about religion, work, or society in general. Often , people use social networking to portray themselves as they want to be seen rather than as who they really are. With a few pictures and a strategic paragraph, for example, a shy and quiet intern-to-be can be portrayed as a "partier". An attempt to expand one's social circle in this way can easily cost a person a job because a hiring manager sees this portrayal of social activity as inappropriate for the professional or corporate setting.
Social networking sites can be used legitimately in hiring decisions, and there's absolutely no reason employers shouldn't screen these sites as a standard part of the hiring process. Employees in sales, public relations, and customer service function as representatives of the companies for whom they work. Therefore, employers have a legitimate interest in ensuring confidence in the character of potential workers, and one of the measuring tool methods is social networking scrutiny.
With this fact in mind, a job applicant's well-crafted online persona can serve as an asset in the hiring process, as well. A candidate can use web presence to demonstrate passion and depth of knowledge for his or her area of expertise. For example, when hiring a new writer, one would be more likely to choose a candidate who has a well-written blog, than a candidate that does not. Similarly, a programmer can enhance his application by keeping a blog that demonstrates his contributions to open-source projects, handiness with gadgets, or knowledge of the technology industry. Ultimately, developing an appealing web presence is a part of portraying oneself in an attractive manner-no different from wearing a freshly pressed suit and proofreading your résumé. As with any information included on personal websites, employers should keep in mind that the portrayal or information may be inaccurate, exaggerated, or give an incomplete picture.
People are responsible for what they post on social network sites. It's unreasonable to make personal information available to the whole world and not expect employers to be included in the population of viewers. Facebook gives users the option of keeping their profiles private, as does blogging software such as LiveJournal. Users should take advantage of these options if their personal sites contain information they don't want to have considered by potential employers. But if applicants choose to make information about themselves available to the world, they can hardly object when employers take that information into account in hiring decisions.