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Posted in Candidates on Sep 14, 2010 by Richard Hayden
What are they and are they important?
Are you on Facebook? Do you use LinkedIn? How about MySpace? Maybe you tweet?
Have you ever posted a comment on a company’s website or news page? Is your online CV up to date – do you even know where it is?
With the dawn of the 21st Century we became an online nation. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have given us new ways of keeping in touch with friends, colleagues and even your aunt Mable in Australia.
But did you know that most employers are now using social networking sites to screen candidates?
In a recent survey by Careerbuilder.co.uk 53% of businesses surveyed, reported that they research job candidates prior to making offers of employment. Approximately 43% of businesses using these sites said that what they had seen had caused them not to hire the candidate. A further 12% of those surveyed plan to start using social networking sites in the coming year as a way of screening future employees. Not only prospective employers check out your online reputation but current bosses and colleagues do it too.
In such a competitive job market we can no longer afford not to take our Netreps seriously.
Whether you’d really like to get that promotion or you’re looking for a new career a few simple steps can go a long way to improving your online image and may just clinch that interview you’ve been hoping for.
5 Tips to Get You Started
- First take care when updating your status. It may have been a difficult day, or a colleague may have upset you, but avoid making derogatory or personal comments. A prospective employer could look at this and think you’re not a team player.
- We all know it’s not much fun being in a job you don’t enjoy but constantly talking about your glee at going home time may draw into question your commitment.
- Don’t post during the working day. Most sites show the time and date of a post – a definite giveaway that you’ve wasted time at work.
- Moderate your comments and feedback. Ten years ago letters of complaint were private affairs. Today, many companies have comments pages or individuals will have established sites dedicated to criticising leading brands. While you may not wish to work directly for the organisation you’re criticising, remember that it may be a potential client or the customer of a future employer.
- Check your extended Network - may seem obvious but it’s often overlooked. Ask friends and colleagues to remove any negative or damaging statements, pictures or comments that feature you.
Watch this space for more pointers on improving your Netrep
At Key Appointments we want to supply you with relevant and useful information, if there are topics you would like more information on then please email us at info@key-appointments.co.uk
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