Applicants for jobs in estate agency are damaging their prospects by their activity on social media.
Recruiter Anthony Hesse, managing director of Property Personnel, said most employers now research candidates online – and that many applicants put themselves out of the running straight away.
Hesse said: “Over 90% of recruiters use social networking sites to screen prospective employees, with 70% admitting they have rejected or hired a candidate based on what they saw about them online.
“It’s no use perfecting your interview technique if your online profile presents a very different picture – and this applies as much to Twitter and Facebook as it does to LinkedIn.”
He advised candidates: “Set your social media profiles to ‘private’ and keep a professional Twitter handle for business.
“If in doubt, Google yourself and see what you come up with!”
Hesse also said that an astonishing number of candidates do not research their potential future employer before interview.
He said: “We’ve even heard of some candidates being asked which of the agency’s half-dozen offices they would like to work in, and they have been unable to name a single branch.”
I agree with the part about doing a little bit of research into the company that is going to be interviewing you, it is essential and I am always most impressed by those that show some knowledge of the company and ask questions about it whilst in the interview. Also send in a quality CV – the standard of some that are received, along with the covering letter, are nothing short of shocking. Riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, poorly written and do nothing to inspire confidence in the candidate. It also helps if they don’t strut in there expecting to be earning £35k+ a year from the outset with a company car and mobile thrown in from day one!!
Basics, surely?
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