According to a July 2011 employment industry survey, 89% of U.S. companies are searching for candidates via social media, namely: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. What does that mean for you?
- If you’re not online, you don’t exist to recruiters.
- Change is hard, but lingering in the past is not an option because online tools are cost effective and efficient for recruiters. Hardly anyone can justify the time or resources necessary to manually sort through resumes any more.
- If you’re not managing your online presence, you may want to look into that.
- Most employers say they use social media sites to research/screen job candidates.
- Many candidates are rejected because of inappropriate photos or comments, discussion of alcohol and/or drug use, disparaging remarks about a previous employer, crude language, discriminatory remarks, lying about qualifications and sharing confidential information from a previous employer.
- Anything you post online remains there indefinitely; there is no erasing past mistakes (or errors in judgment).
- Digital dirt can be devastating to careers; you may need to enlist the help of an expert to clear your name and restore your professional reputation.
If any of these issues are keeping you awake at night, call me: I can help!
Ellie Vargo, MRW, CCMC
ev@noteworthyresume.com