Bright futures could bypass ’Digital Dirt’

With search engine screening on the increase, graduatesí ëdigital dirtí could be killing their employment chances, but a recently launched student society could provide the antidote, and help recruiters to sift through the dirt.

Everyone has ìGoogledî a date or famous celebrity, but now employers have adopted search engines to check out candidates. A recent survey by executive search firm ExecuNet found that 77% of recruiters use search engines to evaluate applicants, while Search Engine Watch reports up to 50 million proper-name searches every day. Of the 77% of recruiters, over 35% admit to rejecting them on the basis of what the web has revealed. So, a third of potential employees are rejected based on a single web page or online comment. Even if an employerís search reveals nothing, applicants could still be in trouble, as a non-existent online identity speaks volumes.

Thanks to Bright Futures, a recently launched not-for-profit student society, employers and graduates can now interact at an earlier stage, reducing the need for searches and helping employers to streamline recruitment. Through accessing studentsí online ëwikií profiles, employers can directly target a huge list of work-savvy students, across some of the best universities in the country. Formerly the Student Industrial Society (SIS), Bright Futures also allows employers to network with some of the UKís most work-savvy students, through on-campus, regional and national events.

Bright Futures Director, Simon Reichwald, comments, ìsearch engine screening has undoubtedly become a part of the recruitment process, but employers should be wary, as it can produce skewed or unreliable results. Bright Futures gives students the chance to redress the balance and provide a positive, yet accurate, picture of themselves. This means employers can bypass a stage of the recruitment process and interact with this unique talent pool at an earlier stage. By removing a layer of the selection process, Society membership can streamline the graduate recruitment process and increase the speed to hire.î

For further information about Bright Futures, please visit www.bright-futures.org.uk. Simon Reichwald is available for interview and pictures are available on request.