Georgia Lanecandidate, candidates, career repercussions
While we all know a poorly written CV with bad grammar or a social media feed that’s full of references to alcohol and drugs put employers and us recruiters off. But would you believe us if we told you the selfie that took you 20 takes to perfect is, in fact, putting us off you!
It’s true!
Jobvite completed a survey (The UK Social Recruitment Survey) that showed, surprisingly, 34% of employers see selfies as a negative thing!
It’s almost becoming the norm for employers and recruiters to ‘Google’ you after seeing your CV, because the reality is, we what to know the REAL you! And if the first thing we see on your social media feeds is selfies unfortunately, this will give us a preconception of your character and not the best preconception. As selfies only really show us that you potentially spend hours in the mirror trying to take the perfect photo meaning you could be self-absorbed or narcissistic, traits that aren’t overly desirable in an employee.
Being honest we as recruiters have overlooked candidates for our own business who've got an endless social media feed of ‘Kim Kardashian’ like selfies and we won’t be the only employers doing it. It’s a shame as those people could have been brilliant employees but now more than ever it’s a candidate driven market meaning competition for work has never been fiercer. So, you need to ensure that nothing gets in the way of you getting an interview and more importantly a job offer.
Of course, you can post whatever you like on whatever social media site you wish however, our advice it’s best to keep your private world separate from your professional world. Turn your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles to private while ensuring that your LinkedIn profile only shows your professional side – no selfies allowed! If you have to use a photo on LinkedIn, make sure it’s a professional headshot. You might think it’s old fashioned but it’s the one thing we don’t see going out of fashion anytime soon! If you don’t have a professional one already either pay for one or just ask a friend to take one for you.
This will ensure that your CV does all the talking for you and that it's the only thing you're judged on until the interview.