Back in the day when I was still in the BPO industry, I remember interviewing this guy who had a bad-@$$ tattoo on his forearm and neck. We had the interview inside one of our interview rooms with web access (in between interviews, I would use the terminal to do a quick background check on my applicants where perhaps a simple Google query would do - I'm pretty sure a lot of recruiters do the same).
Well, to measure his communication skills, I asked the guy to give me in detail how a normal day at work for him went (he was from a competing BPO). So blah blah blah he went , and I glanced at his resume and on his online profile. I saw a lot of drunk photos and I also noticed that some positions and companies were mentioned online but were left out in his resume. So I asked about the gaps in his resume, without giving him an idea that I already saw the companies/job titles he shared online. His face turned a bit red and, well ...we'll get back to him later.
After conducting so many interviews, I am pretty confident when someone is not being truthful to me. But having the internet to check on a hunch is a pretty awesome tool for a recruiter... and this probably doesn't help a lot of job hunters who aren't mindful of the digital dirt they have out there.
Take time to Reflect and Research about your presence online. How many photos do you have drunk and passed out? How many times did you make fun of someone at work or said a bad word about a company? I know some job hunters who bad-mouth potential employers because of an interview that went awry or because they didn't offer enough moolah - things that your future interviewer can read and will try to put into context.
Do yourself a favor and Google yourself (or Yahoo, or Bing, or whatever tickles your fancy). Key in your name, and check for the Web content, Images content, or Video content about you. See if anything comes up, and if it does, see if you can do something about it (maybe simply un-tagging yourself would help or remove the content if possible). You can also keep yourself updated through Google alerts: you just key in your name and choose the volume and frequency of the alerts - this nifty tool will send you an email each time your name comes up online & shares the link of the content.
Remember, what goes around comes around. If you put a negative comment about a colleague or a former employer or even a brand, understand that it would be probably be unlikely that your former colleague would recommend you to their current HR for an interview. Or that your former boss would ask you to apply in their new company. Or an HR from a company that you made fun of would look at your resume. Take note that social networks make money in selling user data to companies, be it for market research or even to third-party background investigators. As the internet has made it easier for people to look for job openings, advancements in web technology definitely helps recruiters in finding better fit for their organizations.
Reform your online presence and start cleaning away your digital dirt. The best way to avoid having digital dirt is to not have any. Always be careful of the photos you share (no matter how awesome!). Be careful on what you say in public forums (please do not bad mouth your employers or bosses) and revise your Facebook privacy settings (avoid getting tagged in photos without your permission). Make sure you "like" fan sites or join groups that that are safe (think like a recruiter or hiring manager! what sites or fan pages would give you a red flag about an applicant?). Basically, if you are serious about job hunting then you are going to have to reform yourself and make sure you convey a mature presence - and do not do this just online, please. Honesty is still the best policy - align your online presence with the resume that you send forward (get on LinkedIn, for starters, and there are a number of guides available to help you get started).
You can also secure the services of a company such as Reputation Defender . For a few thousand pesos, they would address your needs of cleaning up your online presence (I doubt if it is guaranteed though especially for job hunters outside of the USA).
I admittedly tend to joke a lot on my social networks or joke/comment about personalities from sports and politics - but I try to make sure that they sound like jokes and nothing extremely hateful. Keep in mind that there is always that risk of offending someone who comes across your tweet or blog or comment - and this can eventually hurt your chances of progressing in a job interview.
Going back to the tattooed guy I interviewed - well, he tried to describe the gaps (albeit lie) he had in his resume without mentioning the titles he had on his online profile (if I remember correctly, he said he took breaks and went around the Philippines or tried to open a business etc.). I then put on my inquisitor cap (sorry, this is a trade secret, folks) and I got him to admit why he was terminated from those other BPOs (in one BPO, he got terminated because of a scandal that happened inside the premises, and then in another due to poor performance, etc. etc. etc.). Oh, and he pretty much had a lot of not-so-nice things to say about his former employers. "Thank you and have a nice day", said this recruiter.
"Past behavior predicts future behavior", folks, and those of us who do behavioral interviews strongly believe in this. So be mindful of what behaviors you display online.
Alonto for the assist...
Khairy Alonto took his MBA at AIM and now works there. Follow him on Twitter @khairyalonto or view his profile on http://ph.linkedin.com/in/khairyalonto
Well, to measure his communication skills, I asked the guy to give me in detail how a normal day at work for him went (he was from a competing BPO). So blah blah blah he went , and I glanced at his resume and on his online profile. I saw a lot of drunk photos and I also noticed that some positions and companies were mentioned online but were left out in his resume. So I asked about the gaps in his resume, without giving him an idea that I already saw the companies/job titles he shared online. His face turned a bit red and, well ...we'll get back to him later.
After conducting so many interviews, I am pretty confident when someone is not being truthful to me. But having the internet to check on a hunch is a pretty awesome tool for a recruiter... and this probably doesn't help a lot of job hunters who aren't mindful of the digital dirt they have out there.
 |
| photo from http://www.snarkdit.com/passed-out/ |
Do yourself a favor and Google yourself (or Yahoo, or Bing, or whatever tickles your fancy). Key in your name, and check for the Web content, Images content, or Video content about you. See if anything comes up, and if it does, see if you can do something about it (maybe simply un-tagging yourself would help or remove the content if possible). You can also keep yourself updated through Google alerts: you just key in your name and choose the volume and frequency of the alerts - this nifty tool will send you an email each time your name comes up online & shares the link of the content.
Remember, what goes around comes around. If you put a negative comment about a colleague or a former employer or even a brand, understand that it would be probably be unlikely that your former colleague would recommend you to their current HR for an interview. Or that your former boss would ask you to apply in their new company. Or an HR from a company that you made fun of would look at your resume. Take note that social networks make money in selling user data to companies, be it for market research or even to third-party background investigators. As the internet has made it easier for people to look for job openings, advancements in web technology definitely helps recruiters in finding better fit for their organizations.
Reform your online presence and start cleaning away your digital dirt. The best way to avoid having digital dirt is to not have any. Always be careful of the photos you share (no matter how awesome!). Be careful on what you say in public forums (please do not bad mouth your employers or bosses) and revise your Facebook privacy settings (avoid getting tagged in photos without your permission). Make sure you "like" fan sites or join groups that that are safe (think like a recruiter or hiring manager! what sites or fan pages would give you a red flag about an applicant?). Basically, if you are serious about job hunting then you are going to have to reform yourself and make sure you convey a mature presence - and do not do this just online, please. Honesty is still the best policy - align your online presence with the resume that you send forward (get on LinkedIn, for starters, and there are a number of guides available to help you get started).
You can also secure the services of a company such as Reputation Defender . For a few thousand pesos, they would address your needs of cleaning up your online presence (I doubt if it is guaranteed though especially for job hunters outside of the USA).
I admittedly tend to joke a lot on my social networks or joke/comment about personalities from sports and politics - but I try to make sure that they sound like jokes and nothing extremely hateful. Keep in mind that there is always that risk of offending someone who comes across your tweet or blog or comment - and this can eventually hurt your chances of progressing in a job interview.
Going back to the tattooed guy I interviewed - well, he tried to describe the gaps (albeit lie) he had in his resume without mentioning the titles he had on his online profile (if I remember correctly, he said he took breaks and went around the Philippines or tried to open a business etc.). I then put on my inquisitor cap (sorry, this is a trade secret, folks) and I got him to admit why he was terminated from those other BPOs (in one BPO, he got terminated because of a scandal that happened inside the premises, and then in another due to poor performance, etc. etc. etc.). Oh, and he pretty much had a lot of not-so-nice things to say about his former employers. "Thank you and have a nice day", said this recruiter.
 |
| Photo from www.whosawesome.com |
Alonto for the assist...
Khairy Alonto took his MBA at AIM and now works there. Follow him on Twitter @khairyalonto or view his profile on http://ph.linkedin.com/in/khairyalonto
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