The social media makeover
TODAY,THE
PRESENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA HAS REVOLUTIONISED THE WAY AN INDIVIDUAL DISPLAYS
ONESELF AS A BRAND IN THE MARKET
Social media is no more a mere personal networking
platform and has emerged to be a highly influential professional tool. “Social
media is fast-emerging as an effective tool for self-branding, in more ways
than one. In such a scenario, it is imperative that prospective candidates
create an appropriate social profile that has complete and accurate information
about their education and professional qualifications,” says Rohit Thakur,
head, HR, Microsoft India.
Himanshu Bhalla, founder, Creative India delves into what recruiters are increasingly looking for in personal profiles, “Showcase your professional interests in your personal social media profiles like Facebook and Twitter. If you love what you do and are looking for a job in the same domain, your profiles should reflect some of these facets as HR managers may check your profile to derive a better insight. If you’re a designer and applying for the job of a graphic designer, then, your profiles should certainly have some of your work for the viewer to see. The same goes for a copywriter as he or she is expected to write catchy and grammatically correct updates on their social profiles too.” While your CV positions you as a topper from the batch, your social media profiles might say a lot about how you feel about corruption, or working late hours in the office or simply your idea of team-work. The views expressed in tweets/posts are impromptu and real. That’s something the employers want.
“For recruitment processes where skills and competencies have to be checked and matched with the recruiter’s needs, an individual’s education and professional experience are vital sections of the profile. Nevertheless, the more information you give, the more your potential employer can know about you at a first glance. However, it is important to pay attention to how much information you provide, as recruiters don’t really want to spend 15 minutes reading a resume or an online profile,” says Sebastien Hampartzoumian, senior managing director, Michael Page (India).
Thakur is of the opinion that candidates must ensure that their basic information on a social profile is not incomplete as this indicates that they are not active job seekers. They should also not post incorrect data. In these cases, the recruiter shall ignore their profile. According to Bhalla, basic points such as negative posts about previous employers, sexist/derogatory posts that can potentially hurt sentiments of fellow colleagues and posting tons of party pictures online can also truly be a put-off for any recruiter.
The freedom of speech and information on social media is considered a boon as well as a bane for the modern-day HR professionals as there have been many cases where candidates’ facts have been misleading. Bhalla mentions an instance where a candidate had applied for a job of a copywriter with very well-written samples. But on checking his blog and Facebook profile, he found that the copywriter lacked in the very basics of grammar. Mallik states an incident wherein a candidate got to know about an opening in their organisation, “While his profile was being evaluated by the recruitment team, he started sending requests to connect with management team members whose names were on our website. A few of us accepted the request, post which he started sending us mails/messages saying that his candidature should be considered even after he was told by recruiters that his profile did not meet the criteria required for the role. This was a classic case of trying to misuse social media to force your way through. Candidates need to realise that acceptance of a request to connect should not be construed as an invitation to engage as friends.”
The growing importance of social media amongst the HR fraternity has raised a very ethical question amongst many as to whether viewing one’s personal profile is considered to be intrusion of one’s privacy or not. To this, Mallik says that the whole point of social media is being out there. Everyone should refrain from putting information on social media if they want to keep it private. “People are responsible for what they want to feature on their social media profile. It is their responsibility to manage it and be aware of the potential risks of being over-exposed,” concludes Hampartzoumian.
AMIT MALLIK,director – HR, Aviva Life Insurance shares ..
Himanshu Bhalla, founder, Creative India delves into what recruiters are increasingly looking for in personal profiles, “Showcase your professional interests in your personal social media profiles like Facebook and Twitter. If you love what you do and are looking for a job in the same domain, your profiles should reflect some of these facets as HR managers may check your profile to derive a better insight. If you’re a designer and applying for the job of a graphic designer, then, your profiles should certainly have some of your work for the viewer to see. The same goes for a copywriter as he or she is expected to write catchy and grammatically correct updates on their social profiles too.” While your CV positions you as a topper from the batch, your social media profiles might say a lot about how you feel about corruption, or working late hours in the office or simply your idea of team-work. The views expressed in tweets/posts are impromptu and real. That’s something the employers want.
“For recruitment processes where skills and competencies have to be checked and matched with the recruiter’s needs, an individual’s education and professional experience are vital sections of the profile. Nevertheless, the more information you give, the more your potential employer can know about you at a first glance. However, it is important to pay attention to how much information you provide, as recruiters don’t really want to spend 15 minutes reading a resume or an online profile,” says Sebastien Hampartzoumian, senior managing director, Michael Page (India).
Thakur is of the opinion that candidates must ensure that their basic information on a social profile is not incomplete as this indicates that they are not active job seekers. They should also not post incorrect data. In these cases, the recruiter shall ignore their profile. According to Bhalla, basic points such as negative posts about previous employers, sexist/derogatory posts that can potentially hurt sentiments of fellow colleagues and posting tons of party pictures online can also truly be a put-off for any recruiter.
The freedom of speech and information on social media is considered a boon as well as a bane for the modern-day HR professionals as there have been many cases where candidates’ facts have been misleading. Bhalla mentions an instance where a candidate had applied for a job of a copywriter with very well-written samples. But on checking his blog and Facebook profile, he found that the copywriter lacked in the very basics of grammar. Mallik states an incident wherein a candidate got to know about an opening in their organisation, “While his profile was being evaluated by the recruitment team, he started sending requests to connect with management team members whose names were on our website. A few of us accepted the request, post which he started sending us mails/messages saying that his candidature should be considered even after he was told by recruiters that his profile did not meet the criteria required for the role. This was a classic case of trying to misuse social media to force your way through. Candidates need to realise that acceptance of a request to connect should not be construed as an invitation to engage as friends.”
The growing importance of social media amongst the HR fraternity has raised a very ethical question amongst many as to whether viewing one’s personal profile is considered to be intrusion of one’s privacy or not. To this, Mallik says that the whole point of social media is being out there. Everyone should refrain from putting information on social media if they want to keep it private. “People are responsible for what they want to feature on their social media profile. It is their responsibility to manage it and be aware of the potential risks of being over-exposed,” concludes Hampartzoumian.
AMIT MALLIK,director – HR, Aviva Life Insurance shares ..
Tips to use your
social media profile to your advantage:
Be present and not just presentable;
Be present and not just presentable;
Present your thoughts and views online;
Don’t rant with misspelled words and bad grammar;
Comment on latest news / and
express your opinion;
Be consistent across media;
Make a lot of connections
(look for similar interests and hobbies);
Follow companies that you’re
interested in working for;
Join group discussions with other professionals in
your industry.It will help showcase your interest and enhance your knowledge;
Blog about your interest areas and put them in your social media space
YASHOVARDHAN
BHATIA TAS 131126
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