Resumes on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper are the norm however with the growing popularity and use of social media venues such as You Tube, LinkedIn and Facebook, companies are looking for other ways to make sure that they are hiring the best person for the role. More and more organizations are visiting these social websites and plugging in a candidate’s name to find out more about the individual. Hiring Managers are using these social websites as screening tools for weeding out potentially undesirable candidates.
With the magic of Google, potential employers are able to get a real view of who you are apart from the embellished resume and glowing reference from your previous Supervisor (who just so happened to be a family friend). Employers are able to access a wealth of information about you with one click of the mouse. Do you know what type of image you portray online? If not, I suggest you Google yourself to find out what others are seeing. It may be the reason you weren’t chosen for the ‘perfect’ job or why you didn’t get a call back after that interview with the Recruiter.
It is important that as an individual you ensure you maintain a consistent image. That means paying close attention to what type of information (including pictures, and videos) is available about you on the internet – whether you posted it or your friends did, it is your image and your personal brand that’s at stake. So the next time you are posing with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in another, it may be more than just your friends who are viewing those seemingly harmless photos. Other people are paying attention as well. You just never know who’s looking.