WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR IN YOUR ONLINE PROFILES
Online recruitment is nontraditional, but it’s now quickly becoming the order of the day due to Covid-19. As the pandemic strikes, many employers who still look for top talents have to rely on emails and social media platforms to keep the hiring processes moving while protecting employers and candidates.
If you’re looking for a job over the next few months, one thing is clear here: your cover letter and online resume aren’t the only things that need to be spiffed up for a job search. You also need to get your online profiles ready.
You might’ve nailed your cover letter or online resume, but savvy employers might still have to search for more information about you online.
Employers are lurking in the depths of your social media profiles before they move you forward in the hiring process. More than 92% of employers say that they’re using social media to find best-fit candidates.
However, almost 70% of employers rejected or disqualified a candidate based on their social media content or posts. Woof. Therefore, there are specific things that employers seek in your online profiles.
Now the question is:
What is it? What exactly are those things employers are looking for when they search for you online?
In this post, you’ll learn about what you should bring to the table when it comes to online hiring and make employers impressed with your online profiles.
1. Your online presence
First things first, employers want to see whether or not you have a strong online presence. They want to see how creative and interactive you are in what you do online.
In other words, how you choose to use the latest digital platforms or social media platforms can say a lot about how social, savvy, and even skilled you are. You can also say that it’s also about how friendly and social you seem to be with your followers, how often you reply to your Instagram messages, and whether you engage with comments or not. If you own a website, you can even embed Instagram Reels on website for free.
Having such a solid online presence can also help employers to do more research on you, making it much easier for them to see whether you’re the right person they want to work with or not.
2. Your background information
Most employers also perform a background check, including your criminal records – even your inclination for drinking and driving. After all, employers never want to hire trouble.
To improve their background check effort, they often hire third-party screening firms. So, once they begin digging in some information, they’ll find out whether you ever had time to pay your bills on time or whether you have a record about using illegal drugs.
In this matter, you need to check if you have a prior criminal record. Then, see if it can be expunged so you can apply for the job with a clean slate.
3. Your personality, interests, and hobbies
More than half of employers (51%) claim that it’s crucial to see if the candidate will be a good fit for the corporate culture. By all means, they care about your personality, interests, and even your hobbies.
If your inner personality, interests, and values strongly align with the job responsibilities and cultural environment, it’d be much easier for employers to see you as a beneficial asset for their company.
Of course, you can always put those three things into a section on your resume. But, remember that employers can see your real personality and values through your online profiles – your social media posts, interactions with others, the way you reply to comments, and more.
4. Evidence of accomplishments and expertise
Having hard skill sets that match your job description might give you a higher chance to get accepted. However, simply listing all the skills that you think you have on an online resume won’t do the trick. Evidence is required.
You have to back it up with any context or accomplishment. Employers can use those accomplishments to see how and where that skill was utilized and developed.
Meanwhile, online profiles (including your social media) are a showcase of your skills and experience. So, don’t be afraid to show your evidence of accomplishments and expertise on your online profiles because employers always have time to cross-check your claim online.
5. What other people say about you
Your online profiles aren’t all about you. It’s also about what other people say about you.
Again, you can always include some references on your online resume. But, that doesn’t limit employers to gain more information about you from those you didn’t drop contact information for.
And through your online profiles, they know who they need to call or contact to find out more about what type of person you generally follow towards your work and your behavior with others.
Not to mention that employers can now easily get in touch with your past employers or companies to find out about your personality and previous work performance at only fingertips – all thanks to the internet.
6. Your relationship with your former co-workers
It’s crucial to stay connected and maintain a good relationship with your former co-workers online.
From here, you know that if you’ve bad-mouthed and trashed your old boss, colleagues, or your former employers all over the internet, new employers will immediately see it as a red flag.
Remember, no recruiter wants to appoint someone who is unprofessional and easily broadcasts their woes all over the internet.
Wrapping up
What you post and how you behave online can absolutely create a first impression of the sort of person you might be. It means that employers can also use your online profiles to see how you represent yourself online. Is there anything on your online profiles you don’t want them to see? If so, you’d better take it down. Don’t leave your online profiles in any chance. It’s always better to utilize the internet to build an online reputation so that you can get a higher chance to get hired by top most companies.
Of course, each recruiter, company, and industry might have different preferences and needs in a job candidate, but those six points mentioned above are worth considering when you apply for a job online.
