If you think you are reference checked only near the end of
the interview process, you are mistaken - that’s how it was, but no longer. Sure,
reference checks as we’ve known them still exist, usually at the end of the
hiring process, when an HR rep or hiring manager says to you, “we’d like to
make you an offer contingent upon checking your references.” That’s a good sign
and the words we want to hear, it means you’re almost there.
But that’s not what I am talking about. Often reference
checks take place before you are invited for an interview and it often is a
substantial factor in whether or not they will choose to consider you and has
little to do with your professional abilities. I am of course referring to your
digital footprint, your virtual self, online and especially social media, where
increasingly often you may be scrutinized and from where impressions about you
are drawn. So while you may be
focused upon presenting yourself professionally and doing everything right from
that perspective, conclusions are often made according to the impression you
make on a personal level, as a reflection of what you post and share online
even before they meet you - so much
for first impressions, eh.
When you apply for a job and submit your resume, you may be
well-qualified on paper, hoping for a chance to meet face-to-face. But it is
common and becoming obligatory that HR or a hiring manager will look you up
using any number of methods -- and it’s easy, free and takes only seconds
simply using the basics: Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and of course any work-related
website where you may be listed. When they do, what will they find; what will
they see and what conclusions might they draw as a result? Imagine, the hiring
process is supposed to be about your professional
suitability and qualifications for the job you seek - but you may be judged and
possibly disqualified according to how they view you personally. Yeah, it’s messed up but that is the reality of where
we find ourselves in the modern era – ain’t technology grand?
I have seen postings that leave me shaking my head in
disbelief when, for example, someone vents incessantly about how unfair life
is, or someone who suggests they don’t want to live, or they want to hurt someone,
or a woman who is having a difficulty publicly regrets she didn’t terminate her
pregnancy (yeah, I actually saw one like this), etc. You name it, it’s out
there and people do it without a second thought. Occasionally, when I’ve
pointed out some of these missteps to people I’ve met, they get defensive and retort
by arguing they can post what they want and then preach to me about free speech
and their freedom of expression. Indeed, you can express yourself however you
see fit and so too can hiring managers do the same, by not choosing you.
My point is simple: I’m not suggesting that you not be you but perhaps you should set the
appropriate filters to be more selective in just who your audience may be. Likewise,
go through and delete old and potentially unsatisfactory or unflattering
comments and photos you might have posted and have forgotten. This may surprise
some, but with the exception of your closest friends and family, nobody really
cares about your innermost thoughts.
So, what’s your online footprint look like at a glance?
Don’t shoot the messenger; I’m just here to give constructive advice. You can
post to your heart’s content all over for all to see your likes, dislikes, pet
peeves and mood du jour without any forethought or afterthought – after all, we’re
free to screw up in life, just don’t blame others when it comes back to haunt
you.
The internet is a great and powerful tool. You
can as easily investigate companies and even the very people you may work for –
and you should. You absolutely should exploit all means available to you in
order to be as well informed a job candidate as is possible. But they also have
the right to scrutinize you in the same manner and like it or not, fairly or
unfairly, you will be judged accordingly.
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