Social screening: A digital footprint can make, break
A woman runs through her social media feeds. Human resources practitioners and career coaches say what you post on your social media can affect your chances of getting a job that you apply for. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Makerere University, Uganda’s top ivory tower of academia, recently sent out thousands of graduates into the job market after staging a ceremony at which degrees were conferred. Enock Wanderema spoke to human resource practitioners about how job seekers can stand themselves in good stead.
In an era where digital footprints shape professional destinies, a startling revelation emerges from the corridors of hiring—job seekers cloaked in online anonymity may face an uphill battle. A recent survey by CareerBuilder, the vanguard of employment websites in the United States, revealed that more than two in five employers admit to overlooking candidates devoid of a digital trace, casting shadows over their job prospects.
While these statistics find their roots in American soil, the implications reverberate globally. Renowned author and human resource (HR) luminary, Jim Stroud, echoed this sentiment in an exclusive virtual tête-à-tête. Mr Stroud, whose literary oeuvre includes The Number One Job Hunting Book in The World posits that these findings resonate far beyond borders.
The evolving landscape of hiring, as painted by this survey, heralds a new paradigm. In a world captivated by screens and profiles, the absence of an online presence might just be the silent barrier eclipsing career opportunities.
The Ugandan context
Sunday Monitor conducted more interviews with local HR practitioners and career coaches to determine whether the findings of the aforementioned survey could relate to Uganda. Mr Moses Musasizi, the corporate HR manager at MK Publishers, remarked that a lack of online presence in this era may raise questions.
“We would actually wonder what part of the world these candidates live in. It is suspicious of a job seeker,” he said.
This particular concern was put forward by all interviewees. We then sought to understand why HR practitioners in Uganda are increasingly interested in conducting online screening of job candidates. Mr Musasizi explained that recruiters look for candidates with diverse capabilities, including social intelligence—the ability to understand and interact with people in a way that makes them feel safe.
He further disclosed that this trait cannot be fully assessed in an interview, but “by conducting a background check on social media, recruiters can gain a better understanding of a candidate’s social intelligence.”
Social intelligence benefits
Mr Andrew Eyena, the HR manager at the Law Development Centre of Uganda, explained that recruiters use a candidate’s online presence to assess the credibility of their resume. She added that a candidate’s track record of social intelligence on social media can help recruiters evaluate whether their resume is realistic or exaggerated.
The mere mention of red flags sparks an inquisitive mind into action. What occasions these red flags? For starters, Mr Eyena offered that aggressive characters, attributing to the tone of one’s posts.
“If you unreasonably attack the government on social media, that gives off a perception that ‘what will stop you from attacking or exposing your recruiting company in the private sector?’”
Secondly, ethical conduct. Mr Eyena rhetorically asked: “Do you think through before you post anything?”
Grammatical fluency was Mr Eyena’s third red flag.
“We can excuse some typos, but if you tell us you are good at minutes or report writing yet all your posts are full of grammatical errors, think twice!” he noted.
He then mentioned the issue of negative attitude, stating, “How will you be perceived if all you do is to post parties, parties, memes and parties!” He added that it could be okay to have fun, “but doing it responsibly and thinking twice before posting is wise.”
Boomerang
In agreement, Ms Victoria Nyanzi Ateenyi, a LinkedIn coach, noted that “the fun we post now in excitement will come back to haunt us in future, be sure of that if you envision prominence in future.”
To explain this further, Mr Eyena noted that some people’s contracts at his workplace were not renewed on such premises. “These red flags not only affect job seekers, but also employees at all levels,” he said.
On the other hand, from a candidate’s perspective, as Ms Nyanzi noted, “an online presence gradually promotes you into the interests of recruiters.”
In addition, Mr Stroud noted: “It is surprising that recruiters will first scout for potential candidates via LinkedIn before even posting a job opportunity.”
Ms Nyanzi further weighs in that recruiters go further to email candidates they feel are worthy of the opportunity.
“I’m a beneficiary of these. That’s how impressive a professional LinkedIn profile can be,” she said.
Mr Eyena added: “As a graduate, you should own a social media account on the best platform that can best publish your skills because this adds to your professional touch.”
To assist job seekers who may be affected by this, we sought advice from these professionals. Both Ms Nyanzi and Mr Stroud stressed the importance for all professionals, whether employed or prospective employees, to create and maintain professional social media accounts; LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and Medium.
Mr Stroud said LinkedIn and X are some of those platforms that rank high on Google indexing, so they are among the first to appear when someone searches your name. Additionally, Ms Nyanzi pointed out that Google’s search results display recent tweets of a person when their name is searched. She urged candidates not to be intimidated by this, but rather to use their social media platforms to showcase their productivity.
Mr Stroud advised candidates to search their name in search engines to see what shows up. If they are not visible, he suggested starting with social media engagements. However, if there is too much negative information online, he recommended reviewing and editing their timeline.
Mistaken identity
The US-based author also pointed out that having the same name as someone else can create confusion during online screening, potentially leading to mistaken identity. He emphasised that candidates can avoid this issue by simply searching their name on Google and reviewing the results.
Additionally, all the experts interviewed emphasised that while having an active online presence is important, being overly active can be a red flag for recruiters.
“Non-stop updates are a bad signal to recruiters,” said Mr Musasizi.
Sunday Monitor also inquired why HR practitioners do not disclose to candidates that they were not selected due to their misrepresenting online presence. Mr Stroud explained that such disclosures could result in legal action against the recruiter. Mr Eyena agreed, noting that such decisions are made only in the “boardroom”.
In conclusion, social media screening is a trend that is done behind closed doors. As Mr Musasizi and Eyena put it, big corporate entities may be taking it more seriously now, but we cannot deny the fact that it is the way to go, and soon every recruiter will realise how more effective this idea is in evaluating job candidates.
