Comments on: Social Media for Employers – A Basic Guide for Human Resources

By: Who Are You? | A Question of Perspective

Who Are You? | A Question of Perspective — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:43:13 +0000

[...] Over at Redhead writing (full disclosure, she’s my buddy. But, as we say in RI – to steal a phrase from my boss – she’s wicked smahhht) she talks about how to research employees – both current and future. I’d take that one step further. Google yourself. See what comes up. Is that really what you want folks to believe about you? Here are some easy steps to follow to research both prospective AND current employees. Remember – nothing is sacred, and these folks are representing your company’s brand in public. Kinda like an issue I had with a female associate at a major Las Vegas law firm that had bikini-clad and cleavage-laden photos populating her MySpace account. Right next to her employing firm’s name. Boooooooooooo… [...]

By: redheadwriting

redheadwriting — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:45:18 +0000

I would hope that the employers, if doing their due diligence in the social media research realm, would assure that all i’s are dotted and t’s crossed.

I think from a professional standpoint, we can make it easier for employers as social media-savvy candidates and provide them with cross-reference information (our personal websites, identifying characteristics – show them that we KNOW they’re going to look for us) to assure they’re finding “us” and not the drunk frat girl on a pool table holding a chihuahua flashing a gang sign.

By: Jenni

Jenni — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:14:43 +0000

Here’s my question, how will employers know the who they are searching on Google is the actual person?

When I Google myself, a link to my LinkedIn profile is on the bottom of the 2nd page. The rest of the links are about 2 other people who spell their name the same as I.

I hope that employers take this into consideration and verify that the search results are for the person they are searching, and not someone with the same name.

By: Owen O'Malley

Owen O'Malley — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:15:14 +0000

Great stuff…the more informed we are the better decisions we can make. Google provides tons of information…pictures tell lots of stories…and the truth will set us free. I suggest telling the truth in all your online social media efforts.

By: Grant Simmons

Grant Simmons — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:22:22 +0000

Most important thing to realize is that almost every Google search for your name will pop one of the social networking sites / profiles to the top (close to it) – *if* you have a profile out there.

Because of this it’s important to realize you *can* be found and post / edit / update appropriately.

Always better to give a potential employee something positive to consider than something negative to ponder.

I’m not going to say I’ve got employment purely on a LinkedIn profile review alone, but as an entrepreneur with my own agency (in a former life) I *did* get two jobs from posting answers to questions on LinkedIn… not a bad ROI for a couple hours work and writing a little bit about myself.

BTW I *always* Google a job applicant.

Grant Simmons
http://www.linkedin.com/in/simmonet

By: Paul Beiser

Paul Beiser — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:49:04 +0000

Great column, I concur with what you say. And yes, keep personal/private different as much as possible (but I daresay this is hard with micro-blogging). One thing I fail to do is actually to Google people who are applying for jobs, I am still just a ‘review resume, phone screen, and interview-in-person’ kinda person . This has been a good refresher for me.

By: JB

JB — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:34:55 +0000

Erika,
I think using social media as a tool and not as means to create for publicizing my identity, and keeping the two separate, is an approach I’m very comfortable with.

The other day I got a link in to my blog from someone searching my full name. I thought “should I be worried/freaked out?”.

Then when I realize that all of my social media accounts, my blog, including my Linked in account, are all things I want people accessing because I want the traffic.

But I don’t use social media as a way to identify myself to my friends. True we are all branding ourselves and our short little profiles as bloggers. But that is a brand and not a person’s identity. I see so many sites and Myspace pages dedicated to “What I Like” “Top Ten Fav. Movies” etc. and thus that media wasted as a tool and a primary way for people to create an online identity. Maybe it’s a form of catharsis for them.

I guess the point is specifically knowing what you’re using social media for and accepting what comes with each endeavor.

Great post!

~JB@TheLaunchingPad