Twelve years ago I studied Public Administration, could they do something with this? Via various sectors I made the switch to the book industry, perhaps not the sexiest sector for recruiters. My work was mainly in the digital and online marketing field. The Public Administration study contains a lot of Marketing, but the program itself is not called Marketing, again I noted a negative point. In addition, I have worked as a self-employed person for the past five years, they are often stubborn people who cannot or do not want to work as an employee, I thought on behalf of the recruiters.
What could work to my advantage? I figured that my work and education history might be too hazy and vague, but that my current online profile might be more interesting for recruiters. Blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, writing columns and articles, media appearances , I noted the plus points in the margin of my CV. Because where should I include these points in my CV? And what do recruiters do with this? Do they check at all, or do they perhaps already know this, because they themselves check the online profile of an applicant in advance?
Stand out with an online profile
How striking should an online profile be and how do you stand out with a letter and CV? A number of examples show how you can stand out. The most well-known is the tactic of Matthew Epstein. He set up a website specifically for his dream company Google. Google did not hire him, but Matthew was inundated with responses and invitations from other companies and has since worked at a start-up in San Francisco.
An example closer to home is the approach of Wanda Catsman. She used Pinterest in a clever and original way and found a suitable job . Standing out can be positive but also negative. When recruiters ask for a motivation letter and CV, is it wise to send something completely different? I can also offer my CV in two A4 pages differently, I will certainly stand out. But it is unclear whether this is the recruiter's wish.
Questions and views
To satisfy my curiosity, I did some research. I wrote to a number of companies asking what they do with social media during the application process. Some companies did not respond at all, a few companies did not know what to do with the questions and decided not to participate. And a few companies gave a very interesting look into their recruitment kitchen. Below, Fleur Okker, Senior Recruiter Benelux at Monsterboard , Danielle van Bakel, Marketing Communications Manager at Randstad , Wesley Hendriks, Recruitment and Employer Branding Advisor at Tempo-Team and a modest role for Heineken give their vision on social media and applying.
Do you check whether applicants are active on social media?
Fleur Okker from Monsterboard:
“I definitely check whether applicants are active on social media. I don’t do this because it is a requirement to be allowed/able to work for us, but I do it to get an idea of the person applying. What type is he/she, how does he/she profile himself/herself, does this person come across as trustworthy and does what is stated in his/her motivation and CV match the image I get from the activities on social media.
On average, a recruiter looks at a resume for 15 seconds before deciding whether or not there is a match. A nice addition is the possibility of a second opinion via social media/Google. This also offers candidates an extra chance to profile themselves in addition to the resume.”
Danielle van Bakel. Randstad:
“A social media check is not a standard part of the application process. Depending on the position being applied for, the consultant may google the candidate. We do not reject candidates based on their social media profiles. If there are things on the internet that raise questions, this can be discussed in a personal conversation.”
Wesley Hendriks. Tempo Team:
“For our own staff within Tempo-Team it is common to google applicants. In the selection process, the applicant's CV and motivation letter are leading. The applicant's online presence is therefore only checked after the telephone screening to form a complete picture of the candidate. The information found is also shared and discussed with the candidate in accordance with the application code.”
Heineken:
“Heineken adheres to the NVP application code and aligns its policy with it. This means iran telegram data that we only view the candidate’s profile on social media, for example, after consultation with the candidate.”
The purpose of the NVP code is to provide a standard for a transparent and fair recruitment and selection procedure. In principle, checking an applicant's online profile is not part of this.
Fleur Okker. Monster board:
“As a recruiter, I sometimes google people. Not always. Just like the social media 'check', it is sometimes interesting to see what comes up via Google. Here too, it can sometimes be an extra boost and contribute positively to the suitability of the candidate. When I google a candidate, this is in the early stages of the application. So when I receive a CV/motivation in response to a vacancy. After/while reading their letter/CV, I take social media/Google with me. I often base my image of the candidate on that. This can have a positive effect on the application, especially for marketing functions, the 'new' jobs within the organization and the social media-related functions.