Melissa Carter wrote a great blog titled "Social Media and your Future" which gave insight into how employers are using social media platforms to search out employees to ensure successful hiring practices.“Social media is a primary vehicle of communication today, and because much of that communication is public, it’s no surprise some recruiters and hiring managers are tuning in" (Smith, 2013).
It is estimated that "93% of hiring managers will review a candidate's social profile before making a hiring decision" (Davidson, 2014). However, Jacquelyn Smith points out, "The good news is that hiring managers aren’t just screening your social media profiles to dig up dirt; they’re also looking for information that could possibly give you an advantage (2013). The Wall Street Journal found that only "19% [of employers] said they found information that sold them on a candidate, such as communication skills or a professional image" (Flynn, 2014). There has been a long standing debate around the ethics of this. Some people say that looking at a prospective hire's social media accounts can lead to discrimination and it may screen out otherwise strong candidates who have done some things the company doesn't like but aren't related to work (Flynn, 2014). However, Nancy Flynn, thinks that, "Keeping an eye on employees helps companies protect themselves (2014).
As a job applicant, it is recommended to have Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ to allow employers to get a glimpse of who you are outside the confines of a résumé, cover letter, or interview (Smith, 2013). The best part about your social media platforms is that all these pages describe you in your own words - because you wrote them!! "As you consider a strategy to get yourself out there and onto a social networking site... just remember that authenticity and transparency are critical" (Scott, 2015 p.270). If you are applying for a position in communications, it is imperative to show that you understand how the digital world works. If a company views your social media accounts and does not like how you present yourself, it can be assumed that they will not trust you with their social media presence.
A good rule of thumb for when it comes to privacy settings on your profiles is: "If you choose to share content publicly on social media, make sure it’s working to your advantage... Take down or secure anything that could potentially be viewed by an employer as unprofessional and share content that highlights your accomplishments and qualifications in a positive way” (Smith, 2013).
Most of our digital foot-prints are massive, so you may not be able to remove all of the reputation damaging material you find about yourself online. However, there are ways to make things better. Minda Zetlin suggests, "By raising your online profile in a positive way so that anything bad is pushed further and further down in search results" (2015). She also recommends to "Contribute content to industry publications or websites, or local publications. Post regularly to social media in a way that reflects well on you, such as to note your own accomplishments, congratulate your friends and colleagues on their successes, or share valuable content" (Zetlin, 2015).
Sources:
Davidson, J. 2014. The 7 Social Media Mistakes Most Likely to Cost You a Job. Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/3510967/jobvite-social-media-profiles-job-applicants/
Flynn, N. 2014. Should Companies Monitor Their Employees' Social Media? Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/should-companies-monitor-their-employees-social-media-1399648685
Scott, D. M. (2015). The New Rules of Marketing and PR (5th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Smith, J. 2013. How Social Media Can Help (Or Hurt) You In Your Job Search. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/04/16/how-social-media-can-help-or-hurt-your-job-search/#18c515717ae2
Zetlin, M. 2015. Why You Should Google Yourself Regularly (and What to Do About What You Find). Inc.com. http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/why-you-should-google-yourself-regularly-and-what-to-do-about-what-you-find-inf.html
Hey Meredith, I hope you are doing well. I found your blog post to be very interesting. I can see how this could be considered an ethical debate. I just got hired at a new company and I actually found the company through social media networking on LinkedIn. As far as accounts I have, I really only use LinkedIn and Facebook. I have a Twitter that I use to get "fast news" from but I rarely tweet. Many companies these days post ads through social media sites - so I guess it would make sense that they are looking at your profile from there.
ReplyDeleteHello Meredith,
ReplyDeleteI noticed you noted ethics in your blog in terms of employers using a candidates personal media page to assist in the hiring process. Several articles I've read from Forbes and the Wall Street Journal heavily discuss this issue and the violation of privacy. This particular article "Should Companies Monitor Their Employees' Social Media?" from the Wall Street Journal shows different views on the use of social media during the hiring process and throughout actual employment.
The one thing that stood out to me while reading the various views was a point from Lewis Maltby, “Refusing to hire people because of private behavior unrelated to work is not only unfair, but hurts the employer” (Weber, 2014). I believe this is true (I’m sure not in all cases), but a company could be overlooking a highly qualified and skilled applicant. This brings me to a point in your blog about how people should present themselves on social media. I do believe you shouldn’t post anything you wouldn’t want people to see or know, but I don’t believe a person’s personal page should have to be conducted so professionally or serve as an indication of their professional conduct if their post isn’t work related or show behaviors such as slandering co-workers or places of employment.
References
Webber, J. (2014, October 22). Should Companies Monitor Their Employees' Social Media? Retrieved from wsj.com: https://www.wsj.com/articles/should-companies-monitor-their-employees-social-media-1399648685
Hi Meredith,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I touched on the importance of googling yourself in my blog post too. It's crazy how much information it out there and the fact that we have little to no control over it.
I agree with Ste-Aira on keeping some social platforms purely social. However, I don't think that a hiring manager is going to look at your Facebook profile expecting to see you dressed in a suit and only posting intellectual content. I think that they look at these kinds of profiles more to gauge whether or not your personality would fit in with the corporate culture.
We discuss how important utilizing social media as a job candidate is so that employers can see your profiles. And you state "as a job applicant, it is recommended to have Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ to allow employers to get a glimpse of who you are outside the confines of a résumé, cover letter, or interview (Smith, 2013)."
ReplyDeleteI wonder however, if all social media platforms are necessary for every career field. While I believe that LinkedIn is definitely a necessary social media platform for all employees to showcase their resume and present their professional knowledge and connections, is Twitter necessary for an Accountant or someone who's job does not always use social media? Marketing/Communications field definitely should be using all platforms as Smith suggests however do you believe that all career paths warrant all social media platforms, some, or none?
I like the advice! I recently went through the hiring process at a technology company in Boston. Before even getting an interview, I worked with their recruiter who reviewed most of my information, particularly my Linkedin page. I had a feeling he was also looking around and seeing what else I had on the open internet to see if I would be a good candidate.
ReplyDeleteThen, before officially being hired, I had to go through a fairly thorough background check. This task was outsourced to a third party company, who specializes in employee background checks. As part of this service, they screen all of my public social media accounts to search for any potential 'red-flags' that my new employer might want to know about.
I typically keep all of my account information private, so they couldn't see most of my posts, but it still seemed weird that they would check all of my personal stuff!