Universities recommend a web-presence as crucial to recruitment

According to a survey of university careers advisors, job-hunting students need to spruce up their online image in order to get the job of their dreams. The survey by Webjam, the place for you, your groups and your sites, reveals that 80% of university careerís services recommend that candidates monitor their web-presence and 60% suggest that additional material should be put online to support a paper-based CV.

The results underline the increasingly powerful role of the internet for self-promotion and how a well-managed web-presence is crucial to career success. Careers advisors polled for the Webjam survey commented that having an online presence positively affects a job application, since modern employers commonly look for digital skills in their next generation of staff.

Yann Motte, co-founder and CEO of Webjam said: ìItís good to see that young people are recognising the power of the web as a tool for self-publicity. Webjam allows users to upload a broad variety of media that can reflect different aspects of a graduateís ability from mp3ís and videos to blogs and forums. Online, employers can learn that a candidate has more to offer than an application form can show.î

However, many recruiters are using the internet to dig up ìdigital dirtî on candidates. Careerís services increasingly see employers using search engines or social networking sites to investigate the background of potential candidates. Unfortunately, candidates are often unaware of the risks of sending personal information into the public domain. A key danger is that candidates may suffer from online multiple-personality syndrome ñ that is, different pages reflect specific areas of their interests, but each in itself provides a totally unbalanced view of the candidate. Photographs from last Fridayís night out may be only one of many web-entries about someone, yet this may be the first reference that happens to cross the recruiterís path.

Yann continues, ìWith Webjam, users can link together different sections of their web-personality - mitigating the dangers of a potential employer getting an unbalanced view of them through search engines. Our privacy features also mean that a candidate can limit those who can view their site to only friends or groups that share the same interestsî.

Webjamís top tips for an online CV:

● Post multimedia that supports achievements listed on CVs.
● Start a blog which demonstrates your expertise in the relevant area.
● Before interviews, search for yourself online to see what comes up.
● Avoid posting controversial views or drunken comments / pictures.
● Avoid making lots of spelling and grammar errors.
● Avoid making social networking profiles public.

Webjam is the next generation tool in social publishing, allowing any individual, organisation or corporation to give a sense of purpose to their online connections and manage their web presence, from the content they share to the groups they interact with. Webjam is the solution of choice for students, interest groups, think tanks or charities which want to easily connect online and share content in a controlled and safe environment.

Webjam was recently named as a finalist in the Red Herring 100 Europe 2008 award and holds currently hosts 100,000 webjams across the globe.