Having spent many years discussing the reasons for selection of Candidates for Interview with our Clients, we feel we are in a good position to identify trends and provide constructive feedback for job seekers on this topic.
It should come as no surprise that aside from details on a CV, when it comes to getting noticed and making that "first impression", there are some really simple steps that get overlooked and yet invariably make the difference between getting a job interview and not.
1. Set Up a Professional Email Address
If you are looking for work, ensure you set up a live/google mail/ hotmail or similar account which is simply prefixed by your name. We frequently get CV's in with a variety of weird, wonderful and sometimes quite inappropriate e-mail addresses on them to which we are asked to respond to e.g. 'foxylady@hotmail.com'. This may make a prospective employer question the candidate's professionalism as this, rightly or wrongly, gives an impression of the candidate and can lead to their CV being overlooked before its even considered. This may seem harsh but that’s real life unfortunately, aim to be neutral with this.
2. Review Your Existing Non-Work Related Social Media Presence
One of the first things many of our clients, and we ourselves, do as a standard process when considering an application, is to search the job seekers name on Google and see what comes up.
Again, the results can be quite frightening! We have discovered various bad news stories and frightening social media profiles simply by doing this. This can quickly lead the potential recruiter/ interviewer placing your application in the filing tray called 'Do Not Use'. People rightly or wrongly make decisions on your suitability for their company based on this type of information and so you need to eliminate the risk of this counting against you.
With the most common non-work related social media sites like Twitter, Facebook or Instagram offering the ability to protect your account, we would recommend you take advantage of this as a fire fighting strategy. Would you want an interviewer to pre judge you based upon graphic pictures of nights out, your hatred of a football team, or a list of a profanities and strange selfies? Probably not, as its not likely to create an impression an employer would embrace.
Try and judge your account or ask a family member to judge it impartially to see whether this action is appropriate in the short term. On Facebook for example, look at your privacy settings and remember there are regular updates, so it is wise to keep up to date with this.
Better still, work on building strong social networks and creating strong online profiles on your personal social media accounts with good pictures and neutral or positive messages.
3. Review Your Existing Work Related Social Media Presence
Putting a positive slant on this, give employers a good feel for your personality with your work-related social media presence. As well as those seeking to avoid employing the wrong people, companies do choose to hire because a profile conveys a professional image of a candidate. In some instances, it is because the background information supports professional qualifications, people have posted great references about the candidate, or the profile shows the candidate to be creative, well-rounded or with great communication skills.
If you do not have an online work-related social media presence, set one up now. Candidates who are silent or invisible online can be at as big of a disadvantage as those with a poor presence, so it is important to engage with work-related social networking sites to increase visibility and search ability with prospective employers.
4. Use a Professional Image
One of the quickest and biggest turn offs for potential employers can be the photo you use on your social media accounts, which is generally the first thing they see on a search.
We have all seen them and probably laughed at them on Linked In; the girl doing the pouty face, the guy at a wedding who has just crudely cropped his mates out of the picture, the girl at the races in her top hat laughing with her friends. If this is you, change it NOW!
Ask a friend or colleague to take a close up head and shoulders picture on a mobile camera and upload it to the site. We suggest taking it in black and white as it is often more unobtrusive and flattering.
So now you have neutralised and hopefully improved your social media presence by following our advice, your chances of getting that interview are definitely much improved!
Can we help? We have placed and filled over 100,000 temp and permanent assignments over the last 27 years so have a range of techniques, ideas and platforms which could help you. Why not call us on 0113 367 2880 to have a conversation with one of our team. Alternatively drop us an email here or check out our Testimonials and Case Studies.
