A recent poll has found that just over half of British students are in favour of having their online profiles screened by potential employers.
The online poll, run by The University of LawÔÇÖs sister website, ÔÇÿFuture Lawyers NetworkÔÇÖ, revealed that the majority of its participants believe employers should be allowed to veto job applicants according to their social profile.
When asked ÔÇÿShould employers have the right to check out your online profile when you apply for jobs?ÔÇÖ 51% of students voted in favour, 46% against, with 3% undecided.
This majority ÔÇÿyesÔÇÖ vote may be due to a growing mind-set that social profiles can be used to the job-seekerÔÇÖs advantage. Sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn offer candidates the opportunity to make themselves visible to a greater number of employers, as well as providing a platform of interaction with companies that will help them get ahead.
Research carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies has found that social media profiling is already being used by an increasing number of recruiters to veto job candidates. It also discovered that 45% of HR administrators are using social media as an outreach to recruit, with 16% planning to in the near future.
A paper published earlier this year, entitled ÔÇÿThe Use of Social Media in the Recruitment ProcessÔÇÖ, acknowledged that this shift in the recruitment process comes with inherent problems, commenting:
ÔÇ£Firstly, there are ethical questions of privacy and the extent to which it is appropriate and relevant for employers to seek information about workersÔÇÖ private lives.
Secondly, employers may leave themselves open to charges of discrimination; using social media to alert potential candidates to vacancies could potentially discriminate against those who do not have access to social media.ÔÇØ
Director of Employability at The University of Law, Rachael Harris, also warns of the dangers of social profile screening.
ÔÇ£Using social media tools can really help to highlight your achievements; but on the flip side of the coin you donÔÇÖt want a potential employer to be put off by something you posted in jest.
ÔÇ£As with any online activity, students should err on the side of caution, and assume that anything they put online in the public domain may be seen by potential employers.ÔÇØ
In an increasingly interactive recruitment process, Rachel suggests the following tips to help clean up job candidatesÔÇÖ social profiles:
– Check your privacy settings
– Try to keep control of what others post about you, such as de-tagging unflattering or unprofessional photographs
– Be careful of who you are linked to or accept as a friend.
– Be a positive part of the online community: demonstrate your areas of interest by following relevant individuals and groups, and make well-informed comments.
Katie Evans
News Writer
Add Comment