Who is watching you?

Social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are now recognised as an excellent source for finding good passive candidates, according to RZ Senior Manager Alison McRoberts. But they carry their risks, cautions Alison: “It is important for jobseekers to ensure that their social media profiles are as professional as possible. Failure to present your social profile properly can seriously damage your job-hunting prospects. Social networking sites are enabling both agency recruiters and company employers to access a much larger pool of talent. However, in addition to this they are also vetting candidates’ online behaviours.”

Alison highlights the dangers of being too open in an online environment: “Once people post pictures or comments on the internet, it is there for everyone to see. You may think it’s only your friends and family reading your Facebook comments or watching your YouTube video, but be in no doubt, most enlightened employers are vetting their candidates’ online behaviour to assess their suitability.” The message from Alison is to “be careful about the content you post on social networking sites or it can come back to haunt you.”