Netreps: friend or recruitment foe?

Do you Facebook? Are you LinkedIn and Viadeo'd for that matter? Have you sniffed someone out on MySpace, researched on YouTube or boldly burrowed into the blogosphere?

More and more recruiters, both in-house and agency, are taking note of 'net reputations' but are prospective employers really digging for digital dirt – and how much store should any recruiter set by what a person posts about their life online?

Peter Cunningham, UK and Ireland director of social networking side, Viadeo thinks it only prudent for recruiters to take note of a candidate's 'netrep'. "It's just another tool to find the best talent and to help ensure you don't hire a loose cannon," he said. "At the very least, I'd expect recruiters to Google candidates to help verify what they say on their CV. We ran a survey in 2007 and one in five employers said they were already using the internet to search for information on candidates. And almost 60% of our respondents said that information they found on the web would influence a recruitment decision. In fact, a quarter of HR decision makers have actually rejected applicants based on dubious personal information found online.

"The internet is a public space, and as more people use the web to network, it's inevitable that recruiters will devote more time to checking up on candidates already approaching them – and also tapping into the passive job seekers' market."

"The recruitment process has changed dramatically in recent years and we're all relying on more and more online methods," added Louise Triance, editor of UK Recruiter. "Most recruitment companies are aware of netreps, but my experience is that few are seriously using such searches as a tool. It's happening more in search firms and no doubt will become more prevalent as all of us choose to live more of our life on the web."

The internet is a public space, and it's inevitable that recruiters will devote more time to checking up on candidates.

"It's true that it's early days yet," Peter added, "and neither recruiters nor candidates are really drawing the distinctions between the social networks like Facebook and tools like YouTube where some of the more dubious stuff gets aired, and more professional networks. Actually, candidates can pay attention to both to enhance their online presence and create a really positive netrep.

"People should remember a few things: first, information stays on the web a long time. So, when you publish that video of you downing pints and start blogging about how you hate your job, think about the impact that might have – your employer, or next employer, is only a few clicks away. Think about consistency too – if you're looking for a job, make sure that your online CV's up to date and reflects the reality the recruiter will see in an interview."

"I always advise that I'd never publicly post something I wouldn't want my mother to see," Louise chipped in. "But the other side of the coin is to create a positive netrep. Professional networks give you a great opportunity to demonstrate what you've done and how others regard you – use them to emphasise your positives."

Legal implications

There are legal implications around how recruiters and employers use information they find online. "People get excited by what they see online, but it pays to employ a healthy scepticism," Louise explained. "Check, check and check again, and be careful of taking anything at face value. Legislation lays employers open to all sorts of claims of discrimination – and netreps are another potential issue."

"If employers are tempted to research their prospective applicants on social networking sites they must be careful not to use any information they discover to unlawfully discriminate against the applicant," commented CMS Cameron McKenna employment solicitor, Sophie White. "If, for example, an employer reads that its applicant is gay or an atheist it cannot let this information affect its decision. However apart from facing potential claims for discrimination employers can use social networking sites as they please to learn about job applicants. Applicants can't challenge adverse recruitment decisions based on the fact that the employer perceived that the individual wasn't serious enough!

Current employees

"Employers of current employees should be more wary in their use of such sites. They may be disturbed by what they read but are likely to be restricted about the action they can take, because the general rule is that a person's private life is nothing to do with their employer.

Netreps are all about perception. Employers should use them as a research tool, but be healthily sceptical.

"Activities outside work only become an employer's legitimate concern if the employer can establish a clear link between their business interests and the action of the employee. Not only is there a specific right to privacy under the Human Rights Act 1998 but there's an implied term of mutual trust and confidence between employer and employee. Accessing an employee's Facebook page isn't an intrusion of privacy if it's freely accessible, but an employer should act only on what he or she reads there if the information is work related/relevant. Even then, I'd advise only to act with extreme caution. Social networking sites aren't reliable sources of information, often they are simply forums for flirting and boasting with little substance behind the more outlandish claims or staged photographs."

Erwin Tadiar, Citigroup VP in charge of Internal Audit in London is quite aware of his own and others' netreps.

"I personally tell the truth – what you see is what you get. Others could well be a little bit more 'creative', shall we say? I think chat sites are definitely more prone to 'virtual online life enhancement'."

"Netreps are all about perception," Louise concluded. "Employers should use them as a research tool, but be healthily sceptical, and candidates should spend as much time managing their online reputation as they would on crafting their CV. If you create the right perception, it can only help in opening the right doors."