Next time you’re busily blabbing into the Blogosphere - keying your most intimate secrets into what you fancy is deepest, darkest cyberspace…consider this. One in five employers find information about job candidates on the web and nearly 60% say it influences their job decisions. And 25% of HR decision makers reject candidates based on personal information found online.
You’re hoping I made that statistic up? Sorry to disappoint…but these – ahem! – end-of-party pictures… or the grim details of that stag-night slide into debauchery…or even the low-down on what you really think of your boss, his wife and their new baby…if you’ve posted any of it anywhere on the Web, it will likely come back to haunt you.
Online Recruitment wants you to take better care of your NetRep – that is, if you fancy the idea of future employment. They quote a research report released by the business social network Viadeo. Apparently, more than 2,000 consumers and over 600 employers were surveyed by Viadeo and the findings were as outlined above.
This isn’t to say that your online self is necessarily going to screw your employment chances. The same survey concluded that information found online can work in an applicant’s favour – as long as the content is appropriate and presented correctly. In fact, 13% of HR decision makers chose candidates they might otherwise have rejected, because of additional positive information they found about them online.
The solution? Consider using a social networking site to promote a professional image of yourself on the Net. A tough job, maybe…but not impossible! And check out Viadeo – it’s as good a place as any to start.
You will be Googled…you have been warned!
