17 July 2009
	WORLD WIDE WEB Manage your online info By Jonathan Ferreira The Internet can make or break your job prospects, so tidy up your online profile

Globally, the Internet is revolutionising both how people look for work and how companies look for employees. South Africa has lagged behind those countries with faster and cheaper connectivity, but it is catching up, and knowing how the Internet is changing the job market might just give a candidate the edge they need. Initially an Internet job search did little more than automate the role played by employment agencies. This is still the most common route job seekers use to find employment online. Job seekers can submit a CV or respond to an advert on an employment site, such as pnet.co.za, careerweb.co.za or careerjunction.co.za. The application is then visible to recruiters and companies looking to hire. This is how Sarah Gurney, media developer with Flow Communications in Johannesburg, found her current job. "I uploaded my CV into bizcommunity.com's media category and about a week later was approached for a full CV, and then asked for an interview. The whole process was extremely painless," she says. Other sites such as Resumebucket.com allow users to post an online CV, which is then allocated a unique URL (Web address), which is used to track how many people are viewing it. "While these are still important and useful features of an online job search, the rules of the game are continuing to change, and it is the social networking sites where these changes are being most keenly felt," says Michael Fauscette, a social media commentator and human resources manager at market intelligence firm IDC. Networking sites such as Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are increasingly becoming effective tools in the hunt for a job. Before trying to use these sites to actively pursue work opportunities, candidates should remember that while the sites allow for easy access to information on employers, it is equally easy for employers to access candidate information. While the type of information most students post on sites such as Facebook may not tip the scale much in their favour, it can certainly tip it the other way. Everybody understands that partying is part and parcel of being a student, but if the first thing that an employer sees when doing research on a potential employee is a picture of them wearing nothing but their underwear on their head, it is unlikely to create a professional impression. So, at the very least, as a graduate it is necessary to manage the information that employers have access to. This may be as simple as running a Google search on the candidate's name and seeing what comes up, or creating privacy settings on Facebook. Fauscette argues that cleaning up what prospective employers see may be a good start, but maximising the Internet's effectiveness in a job search requires more active management. Networking is a process that one should work on continually. It takes time to build and maintain a network and the more actively one maintains it, the easier it is to call on those contacts when they are needed. Fauscette gives the following advice on how to get the most from three of the more popular social networking sites. Of the more popular networking sites, Linkedin.com is the most directly geared towards facilitating a job search. Linkedin is a business networking site that allows a candidate to create a profile, listing skills, work history, employment goals and contact details. However, it is not only the CV that employers look for when assessing candidates' profiles. Fauscette argues that the candidate's network on Linkedin, as well as uploaded recommendations from past and present colleagues, is at least as important. Facebook's adaptability is fast making it one of the job seeker's most valuable assets. On top of its networking opportunities, job seekers can add applications that allow them to post a CV or view new job listings, for example. Employers are also realising Facebook's potential. Auditing firm BDO Spencer Steward, for example, set up a Facebook fan page to give candidates a glimpse of what BDO could offer prospective employees. The result was a 60% increase in applications. Twitter.com's increasing popularity and reach make it a potentially powerful tool in a job search. Though it may seem unlikely that one could find work using 140 characters or less, there are numerous ways to use the site in a job hunt. For example, job seekers are able to write a brief bio indicating skills, accomplishments and career goals, enter a link to an online CV, use hash tags (#) to identify keywords that are picked up in searches, and follow recruiters and companies of interest. Remember, using social networking in a job hunt is more about getting in contact with the right people, and is not meant to replace other aspects of a job search (such as a well written CV). As such, the brevity imposed by Twitter does not necessarily undermine its usefulness. Fauscette also recommends blogging about a subject related to the field in which a candidate is seeking employment. Blogging can establish the credibility of a candidate by demonstrating field-related knowledge and an active interest in the industry. And candidates need to do online research too, when applying for a job and before an interview. The starting point is, of course, visiting the company's website, but there is much more to be learnt about a company than what they publish. A "news" search on Google will show if a company has been in the news recently. An insightful comment on something that is current and important to the company can show how well-informed a graduate is. Candidates should check to see if the company has a Facebook fan or group page (like BDO's), and, if the advert states who the interviewer is, candidates should do some research on that person specifically. The true value of the Internet is the ease with which it allows one to access information. The implication for a job search is that there is a wealth of information on prospective employers that can be used in distinguishing one candidate from the rest, but it also creates an onus on them to manage the information that prospective employers can access.