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Should you worry about your net worth?
(Daily Post (Liverpool) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) IT IS possibly the most important document any one person will produce in their entire career. Carefully crafted and redrafted, meticulously typed up and printed on to heavy paper, all in the knowledge that first impressions count when the curriculumvitae lands on a prospective employer's desk.
As the employer reads through the pile of applications, keen to separate those who have "overpolished their skills set" from those with the genuine ability to do the job in question, the lure of the lap-top becomes almost unbearable.
Down go the pile of applications, on goes the monitor - and into Google go the names of those battling for the situation vacant.
Sounds a little far fetched, doesn't it? But the damage students leaving education could unwittingly be doing to themselves with their "online identities" means universities are now warning about what details are put online.
A quick check through social networking sites such as Myspace or Facebook could reveal a very different picture to an employer than the seemingly quiet candidate who "enjoys reading" in her spare time - particularly if the photos of Ibiza 2005 are anything to go by.
"Over the last few years, we've seen a huge rise in the use of the social networking sites and people are more comfortable posting personal information on the internet than ever before," says Alison Wildish, head of Web Services at Edge Hill University.
"Sites such as MySpace and YouTube make it easy to quickly add content and publish it worldwide. While many opt for a separate online identity, some are comfortable linking these with their own 'real' lives, thus making it easier for prospective employers to locate personal information about individuals.
"A trawl through some of the popular social networking sites could potentially provide you with a picture about someone's personal life that would previously have been unavailable to prospective employers.
"You could view someone's holiday snaps on FlickR, find out who they're friends with on MySpace, and watch a video of them on YouTube.
'WHILE we encourage our staff and students to engage with these tools and technologies, we do advise that they exercise some caution.
"It's generally wise to separate your personal and professional lives online. If you wouldn't want prospective employers viewing the material then, to be really sure, don't post it."
Even a simple search through Google can yield information employers may find interesting - and which is more damaging to the chance of landing that all-important interview.
Alison adds: "I actually think Google is potentially more harmful than social networking sites. Many people still create an online identity for MySpace, etc, but are comfortable going under their own name for things related to political interests, religious beliefs and hobbies.
"This information, in my opinion, is easier to access and can provide a detailed picture of someone's personal life that wouldn't be available from an application formwhere obviously people paint themselves in their best light."
Such is the popularity of trawling the web for information on an employee or candidate, that headhunters now offer to manage clients' so-called net reps.
According to research from business communications firm Viadeo, one in five employers now finds information about candidates from the internet - over half of who say it will influence their final decision.
Around 31% of people admit to posting their details online, a figure which rises to just over half in the 18 to 24-year-old category. Perhaps more worryingly, 54% in the 18-24 category have found pictures of themselves online which have been posted by others without their consent.
"Millions of people are inadvertently contributing to their net rep everyday by leaving personal information online much of which is cached and remains available via search engines even after the author has removed the web page," says Peter Cunningham, from Viadeo.
"When people who are not the original intended audience - such as potential employers - find this information it can have a major impact on their decision making process.
"The rise of search engines such as Google means that potential employers are never more than a few clicks away from information about you.
"People must manage their net reps closely - online information must be tailored to work to their advantage.
"It is possible for candidates to present a professional image of themselves to the world online."
AND that is the experience of Anna Heyes, managing director of Active Profile, a marketing agency based in Liverpool's Rodney Street.
"As a company, we use social networking sites a lot, especially MySpace," she says. "Reasons include both for marketing purposes for client products, and for business development.
"When it comes to checking people out online, it is something I would certainly do after having short-listed candidates.
"People should perhaps be wary of this, but I would see it as a positive thing, certainly for our company, if people had well worked on and developed content-rich Myspace accounts.
She adds: "We have noticed that for sites like Friendster and Bebo, the person searching for information would have to know certain information about the person, such as an email address or sign in name in order to see it.
"And it goes a step further on Facebook where you have to accept a friend before you get the information. This makes searching for information slightly more difficult."
Despite such obstacles, Craig Sweeney, director at Cheshirebased recruitment management firmOmni RMS - whose clients include one of the region's biggest web success stories, moneysupermarket.com - believes people should expect to be webchecked.
"Employers are increasingly utilising the web to explore the profiles which prospective employees are happy to share with the world," he says. "It should also be of little surprise - after all, you research a stereo or a car online before you invest in it, so why should people be any different when you're looking for a potential employee?
"The web provides a world of infinite information so why should prospective employers be the only ones who don't use this information to their advantage?
"Every employee is a representative of the company they work for so anything visible to the world at large has the potential to impact on the image of their employer.
"When people think about employers searching for their profiles online, the immediate reaction is that it's to find out negative reasons not to employ them.
"The web does, however, provide a canvas for people to present an image that they can be proud of; people just need to be savvier in how they represent themselves.
"Anyone over the age of 35 might not want prospective employers filing through their photo albums from holidays of their youth and parties at their student digs which captured some of their 'weaker' moments.
"But this is exactly what today's generation who live through the web are doing through sites such as YouTube and MySpace.
"The thing to remember is what might make your friends giggle today could come back and haunt you a couple of years down the line when you're trying to land your dream job.
'ONLINE profiles will increasingly be viewed by employers as a supplement to a CV."
John Wakeford, managing director of North West recruitment firm Hitchenor Wakeford Executive Search, says it is an increasingly common tactic, especially when hiring for high-profile roles.
"Company websites are one of the first places that come up in a Google search, but also written communications that are in the public domain, newspaper articles, and personal blogs.
"It is rare to uncover something truly sinister, but I have encountered people who claim on their CV to have made a great success of a public project - but it has been reported in the local press as a major disaster."
But for employers who think they have finally found a foolproof way of shooting through an over-embellished CV comes a note of caution from Mark Higgins, head of employment at North West law firm Betesh Fox.
He says: "While employers are perfectly within their rights to use anything in the public domain when investigating job candidates, they must ensure they don't use this information to discriminate against a person applying for the job.
"Employers must not make assumptions based on any online information and if anything derogatory is written on the web, they should give the candidate the right to reply.
"After all, it could be the slanderous rantings of an ex-wife, husband or business partner. It's also important to make sure that the person you are reading about on the internet is your candidate - not just someone with the same name."
John Wakeford concurs: "Internet searches should be used alongside more targeted techniques such as qualification and Criminal Records Bureau checks, references, interviews, psychometric testing, and assessment centres. Only using Google to find information on a candidate is like using sledgehammer to crack a nut."
People must manage their net reps closely
Net reputations
IN THE Viadeo survey, employers gave a variety of reasons for discarding candidates based on their internet reputation, or "NetRep", including:
"His MySpace website showed a negative side to him, including excessive alcohol abuse and disrespect for his job."
"We found that the candidate was on the local police wanted list."
"We found that the candidate was personally into some activities which did not fit ethically into my company."
BUT the research showed that information found online can also work positively for job applicants, if the content is appropriate and presented in the right way. Examples of positive findings included:
"Found achievements that I might not have known about otherwise."
"Showed internet skills through his own website."
"Found out that the candidate had more to offer than she was revealing with an inadequately designed corporate application form."
THE research suggested that individuals are failing to manage their Net Rep effectively, with just 9% of people actually using a business social networking site to promote a professional image of themselves.
John Wakeford's tips for businesses checking online:
Don't use Google as your only means of getting background information. Use Criminal Records Bureau checks, references and psychometrics where necessary.
Check that the person you have "Googled" is the person you're recruiting, not just someone with the same name.
Look for blogs - similar to online diaries - to uncover facts about the person's hobbies and outside interests.
davidhiggerson@dailypost.co.uk
Copyright 2007 Liverpool Daily Post & Echo Ltd
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