We all know that in developed countries, employers tend to research job candidates’ social media activity when trying to fill a position. In the Caribbean, and based on recent articles published in Jamaica, the practice may not be as clear-cut. Here, we highlight a few considerations that may point to the impact of social media activity on recruitment.

 

In The Gleaner newspaper in Jamaica last week, there were two separate articles discussing whether an individual’s social media postings can affect their employment prospects. Based on the views expressed, it appears that the jury is still out.

In one article, the President of the Jamaica Employers’ Federation, David Wan, was of the view that an individual’s qualifications and experience were still the core deciding factors, and Jamaican companies were less inclined to consider the individual’s social media presence (and content) in their hiring decisions. Mr Wan noted that since Jamaica’s labour pool was relatively small, particularly for senior or specialist positions, employers may not be in a position to be too choosy, and thus tend to focus on the basics, which are qualifications and experience.

On the other hand, and for some Jamaican employers, job candidates’ social media presence is an important consideration in the recruitment process. For example, at Digicel, and according to Elon Parkinson, the firm’s public relations and communications manager, it is interested in a job prospect’s social-media usage.

As part of our overall vetting process, we may check a prospective employee’s social-media presence. Oftentimes it’s the LinkedIn profile that could give us additional information about the person’s professional background…

(Source:  The Gleaner)

Although not achieving consensus. the two articles provide some useful insight into the role social media might be playing in the recruitment process among Jamaican organisations.  Having reviewed the articles, we offer our own thoughts on the impact an individual’s social media activity might have on his/her job prospects.

Qualifications and experience are still key

Off the bat, it is important to emphasise that possessing the requested qualifications and experience for a particular job vacancy, tend to be crucial in order to be shortlisted for an interview, or for further consideration. If you do not satisfy the basic job requirements, but somehow you have a very active and positive social media image, the odds are your application will not go much further.

Essentially, the requested qualifications and experience can be thought of as gating criteria in the recruitment process. Once those have been satisfied, all of other skills, experience, hobbies, etc., you possess, and similar to your social media presence, would be secondary, and consequently, can enhance (or undermine) the professional image you are trying to present.

One’s social media presence may be more important in positions or companies that have some visibility

Second, it is likely that the extent to which companies might research a job prospect’s social media activity may be related to the position for which s/he is being considered, and the nature and overall visibility of the firm. Factors that could trigger a closer examination of a job candidate’s social media presence might include:

  • for senior positions, in which individuals will possess considerable authority
  • for public-facing positions, such as public relations or communications
  • in a highly corporate or conservative workplace, such as law and accounting firms, or financial institutions
  • for businesses that tend to be highly customer-centric
  • in firms that have an international footprint, and to some degree may need to maintain basic and consistent recruiting practices across the entire organisation.

However, it ought to be noted that one or more of the above factors might be at play in any given situation. It may ultimately boil down the organisation trying to proactively manage the risk of exposure or embarrassment, by trying to undertake a comprehensive due diligence exercise during the recruitment stage.

Generally, we tend to research everything, why not a job prospect

Finally, as much as the focus of the articles in The Gleaner newspaper was on social media, the truth of the matter is that to some degree, we have all gotten into the habit of researching everything on Google. The exercise of researching – and checking more than one source – is all about us trying to learn more about something. So why shouldn’t that habit get transferred into the workplace, and into the hiring process?

Further, although social media might be the lowest common denominator – since almost everyone has at least one social media account – it should also be noted that other avenues for research exist. For example, articles that have been published on a candidate or includes (or mentions) the candidate might be useful, along with articles that the candidate (him/herself) has published, and presentations s/he has delivered.

Some of those options might be more evident for individuals who are applying for senior or public-facing positions, or those who have made a concerted effort to build their personal/professional brand. However, the bottom-line is that employers might be increasingly inclined to research job candidates, if only to get a better feel of who they are, but more importantly, to get a better sense of whether or not, or the extent to which they might be a good fit for their organisation.

 

 

image credits:  (Tracy Le Blanc, Pexels)