New Age Social Media Reference Checks

  • 1 min read

Have you ever Googled yourself as part of your job search strategy? According to the Society for Human Resources Management, there’s nearly 100 percent chance your credentials, resume, and application will be reviewed for inaccuracies. You may want to take a minute to find out just what comes up on what Larry Page and Sergey Brin originally built as “BackRub” only 13 years ago.

New age reference checks

Recruiters, human resource professionals and hiring managers alike are taking to Google, Facebook, and Twitter to find out about candidates on a deeper level than ever before. Your education, experience and published works wrapped up by confirmation of salary, tenure, and duties are reasonable reference checks. These online social media checks are a whole new level and include offer-impeding details from police reports and court records (e.g. bankruptcy) to articles written by bitter customers.

Proactive approach

Take time to research yourself online and go in knowledgeable to every interview. Enter your name as it appears on your resume, and if you use a nickname, Google that as well to have a complete understanding of what potential employers and recruiters can uncover. Truth is, if you’re interviewed and a falsification is found, that will be the end of the road for you. If you’re tempted to lie, think again.  Ken* was recently terminated from his position, despite top performance, at a Fortune 500 financial company, due to falsification of what he considered to be a small fact during the hiring process 3 years ago.

Reputation management

How do you stay on top of all your Google results? Unless you were the self-absorbed subject of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” (she’s never confirmed who it was, although she did confirm it was not Mick Jagger), let Google do the work for you. In June, they released “Google Me on the Web” to easily manage your online reputation and keep up with your online brand.

Picture of Adriana Llames

Adriana Llames

Adriana Llames is a veteran career coach and acclaimed author of Career Sudoku: 9 Ways to Win the Job Search Game. She is creator of “HR In-A-Box,” a Human Resources software product helping small businesses across America and a professional keynote speaker motivating and inspiring audiences with her focused programs on “9 Ways to Win the Job Search Game”, “Confessions of a Career Coach” and “Nice Girls End Up on Welfare."

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