Researching Candidates Online

By Frank Mulligan, Talent Software

Blogging has proved to be a big attraction for many individuals around the world but a new downside is emerging. Companies are beginning to check out candidate blogs before they hire.

Sometimes they see red flags that tell them not to move forward with the hiring process.

Personal blogs are used for many reasons and most of these reasons are perfectly legitimate. But a lot of individuals seem to be using them to show themselves other than they truly are. Something more they are: cool, trendy and in the know. Itís a teen thing. (Actually itís an everybody thing.)

Itís fun to play with the new technology but it can backfire when a potential employer takes a look at these posts with their newly acquired retroscope. The bloggers ironic wit and post-modern style may be lost on someone who just wants evidence for company records. Common or garden juvenile posing can come back to haunt you.

Taken out of context, you can see how many posts might seem to indicate a risk taking personality, or just show inappropriate behaviour. Especially to someone who is pre-internet in their thinking.

The question that is raised here is whether it is fair to judge someone by something that they may have said or done many years earlier, when they were younger and less worldly wise. Having the sense to admit that you just donít get the behaviors of younger generations would be a good start. Context, context, context.

Perhaps a more practical approach would be to introduce the offending material at interview and use it to spark discussion. The candidateís mature response to this material might actually indicate a personal integrity that cannot be seen in this juvenile online behavior.

If you havenít started checking out candidate blogs, maybe now is the time to start.

Comments to: frank.mulligan@recruit-china.com