candidate scanning

6 Reasons Why Employers Scan a Candidate’s Online Behavior

May 5, 2023 by HRSpotlightTeam

6 Reasons Why Employers Scan a Candidate’s Online Behavior

May 5, 2023

Determines Company Fit

Scanning online behavior can be a great way to see if a candidate is a good fit for the company culture. I’m not talking about seeing their interests or following other companies merely, but rather about how they use their online platform.

Are they posting about going to the gym and eating well, or are they complaining about work or the people they work with? Online profiles are windows into a person’s life, and employers are using them to determine if candidates are the right fit for their company.

Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Rephrasely

Shows the Real Candidate

Employers want to get a fuller idea of what the person they’re hiring is like. Social media can allow them to understand what a person’s behavior represents when they aren’t acting on a script. It provides a more natural view of a candidate than they might see during an interview.

If understanding a candidate before hiring saves a company from having to deal with behavior troubles or legal liabilities of any sort, then it’s already worth the effort.

Max Schwartzapfel
CMO, Schwartzapfel Lawyers

If understanding a candidate before hiring saves a company from having to deal with behavior troubles or legal liabilities of any sort, then it’s already worth the effort. It will always be better for a company to reject an unsuitable candidate than it will be to fix any issue caused by them in hindsight.

Max Schwartzapfel, CMO, Schwartzapfel Lawyers

Filters Out Troublemakers

I’ve learned the hard way how important it is to conduct candidate background checks, especially their social media profiles.

Five years ago, I hired an apparently perfect candidate for a role, only to have the HR department bombarded with complaints about inappropriate remarks and insensitive behavior towards other employees. Later, I discovered this was the norm for him; his Facebook profile was full of problematic status updates, racist quotes, and shockingly sexist remarks.

With challenging times ahead for businesses, I think it’s better to deep-dive into whatever candidate information is available instead of risking hiring them, only to terminate them and rehire someone else in a month.

Anjela Mangrum
President, Mangrum Career Solutions

Sometimes, online profiles can also provide clues about the legitimacy of applications that seem too good to be true. With challenging times ahead for businesses, I think it’s better to deep-dive into whatever candidate information is available instead of risking hiring them, only to terminate them and rehire someone else in a month. As it is, with the current challenges of running a business, office drama is the last thing we need!

Anjela Mangrum, President, Mangrum Career Solutions

Controls Your Online Reputation

The things that an employee posts or does online don’t just impact their individual reputation; they can also influence how people view or think about your company, even when someone is posting on their personal social media.

Many customers today want to do business with companies that share their values, and job seekers feel the same way about employers. If you hire someone who’s an online bully or regularly posts offensive content, this could lead to people associating these behaviors with your company, and your online reputation as a business can suffer.

If you hire someone who’s an online bully or regularly posts offensive content, this could lead to people associating these behaviors with your company, and your online reputation as a business can suffer.

Archie Payne
CEO, CalTek Staffing

This is aside from the potential impact on your team, culture, and morale from hiring someone who’s hostile, prejudiced, or otherwise toxic, although that’s something else that’s important to consider. Scanning the profiles and posting behavior of candidates before they get through the interview process is an easy way to check for red flags and avoid hiring someone who will cause you these kinds of headaches.

Archie Payne, CEO, CalTek Staffing

Exposes Red Flags

People always warned us in college that employers would search through our social media. It’s true because, as I am in charge of gathering candidates for new openings, the first thing I do when someone applies is look over their social media profiles. We do this to see if they will be a good fit with our company culture.

Obviously, you want employees who will show up on time and get along with others. When I see people who have their profile photos as themselves flipping off the camera and smoking drugs, those are red flags that they probably wouldn’t do well in our culture. With social media, you are supposed to put your best foot forward or show the best side of yourself. Make sure it truly is the best side you are showing others.

Seth Newman, Director, Sporting Smiles

Uncovers the Candidate’s Private Integrity

Social identity online is vital for employers to determine the integrity of potential candidates. Candidates with a dirty online identity can damage the reputation of the brand and link it with associated behaviors, such as racism or sexism.

Online scanning can validate the information that potential candidates provide and help gauge the intangible aspects of trust and integrity. It is also vital for security to avoid hiring candidates involved in illegal activities such as money laundering and cybercrime. It is also a way to eliminate unconscious bias through objective scanning of potential candidates.

Yongming Song, CEO, Live Poll For Slides

Scanning a Candidate’s Online Behavior Does Make a Lot of Sense!

Pick up any of these points shared by workplace leaders and you’ll know there are plenty of valid reasons to review a candidate’s online behavior and determine if they’d be a good fit or not. So the next time you post something or leave a comment without thinking twice, remember that your potential employers will get to it, review it, and probably use it as enough reason to reject you.

Do you have a valid pointer to add to this list? Or is there another topic you’d like to start a conversation around on the HR Spotlight platform?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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6 Warning Signs to Weed Out Wrong Candidates

January 23, 2023 by HRSpotlightTeam

6 Warning Signs to Weed Out Wrong Candidates

January 23, 2023

Vague Answers to Interview Questions

From my experience as an interviewer, the biggest candidate red flag is responding vaguely to questions I ask.

I’ve noticed competent candidates are eager to continue the conversation and provide elaborate answers to interview questions. Their specific, in-depth responses are often enough to prove their credibility. Underqualified candidates or those who have exaggerated their resumes often cannot answer many basic queries, exposing themselves as bad choices for the role.

Underqualified candidates or those who have exaggerated their resumes often cannot answer many basic queries, exposing themselves as bad choices for the role.

Anjela Mangrum, President, Mangrum Career Solutions

For instance, if there’s a certain software critical to their field of work, a suitable candidate will tell me about their experience using it, where they learned how to use it, and what they think about the distinct features. The wrong applicant might name a few features and know their functions, but they usually won’t be able to say anything that proves they have hands-on experience with it.

Anjela Mangrum, President, Mangrum Career Solutions

Lack of Preparation

One warning sign to help weed out wrong candidates is a lack of preparation. If a candidate comes to the interview unprepared, it could be a sign that they are not genuinely interested in the position or that they are not taking the interview process seriously.

Trey Ferro, CEO, Spot Pet Insurance

Poor Representation on Social Media

In college, they always told us to be careful what we posted on social media, and that still holds true. Now that I am in the position of weeding out candidates for open positions at our business, once I see someone apply who has the ideal skill set, the first thing I do is search their social media profiles.

The first thing I do is search their social media profiles. Sometimes I find some pretty interesting stuff, like them bashing their former employers or bosses. Other times, I find profile pictures of them flipping the camera off or smoking drugs. Those are just red flags right away that they wouldn’t be a good fit for our company.

Seth Newman, Director, SportingSmiles

Sometimes I find some pretty interesting stuff, like them bashing their former employers or bosses. Other times, I find profile pictures of them flipping the camera off or smoking drugs. Those are just red flags right away that they wouldn’t be a good fit for our company.

Social media gives you the easiest way to present your best self. Make sure you’re presenting yourself in a presentable fashion; otherwise, companies will look elsewhere.

Seth Newman, Director, SportingSmiles

Punctuality Problems

Punctuality problems persist. If a candidate is late for an important interview, this reveals a lack of planning. This will not only reflect on the time they arrive at the office each day, but also on how promptly they complete their tasks, and their ability to plan and organize work-related tasks.

If a person can’t plan their morning well, I don’t see how you can expect them to plan a work event, serve customers on time, or even come up with a working strategy at work.

Lydia Mwangi, Content Writer, Barbell Jobs

Negativity

It’s human nature to complain about work from time to time, but there is a time and place to do so. A job interview definitely isn’t the place to air grievances from past jobs.

I want to see candidates focusing on their strengths and value, not using their interview time to complain about other people, and this can also be a red flag of a potentially toxic employee who would be detrimental to your team’s morale and culture.

It’s human nature to complain about work from time to time, but there is a time and place to do so. A job interview definitely isn’t the place to air grievances from past jobs.

Matt Erhard, Managing Partner, Summit Search Group

Similarly, I am wary of candidates who bring work drama into their social media feeds. Again, there’s nothing wrong with a post or two complaining about a hard day. What flags me is when they regularly post workplace gossip, get into arguments with coworkers, or have similarly immature online interactions with colleagues.

This kind of behavior can both affect team morale and reflect poorly on your company and is a definite red flag for me when I’m considering candidates.

Matt Erhard, Managing Partner, Summit Search Group

Punctuation and Grammar Errors

One of the major warning signs we look for to help weed out wrong candidates is punctuation and grammar errors in their cover letters and resumes. Poor punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors are a sign that the applicant is not detail-oriented and may not be the right fit for our department.

Lindsey Hight, HR Professional, Renue Commercial

It’s All About Keeping Your Eyes Open

There are multiple criteria that help decide if a candidate is right for the job or not, but when it comes to warning signs, all you need is one to weed out a wrong candidate. All you have to do is keep your eyes open.

Of course, even more important is to ensure that the rest of your team is quickly made aware of the problem. Once you have a manager’s approval, you can update the candidate’s details in your red flag section, so that the next time the candidate approaches your organization, everyone on the HR team receives an alert.

Do you rely on warning signs to help you weed out wrong candidates? Or is there another insight you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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11 Leaders Show You How to Make Your Resume Stand Out

January 16, 2023 by HRSpotlightTeam

11 Leaders Show You How to Make Your Resume Stand Out

January 16, 2023

Show Up in Person

As a business owner, I have this fantasy that a job seeker out there is more enthusiastic about working with my company than I am. And the primary way that job seekers can prove that is by walking into my office or, at a minimum, picking up the phone and calling me directly. Yet in 30 years, this almost never happens.

Hard truth: We business owners don’t care about your resume, we care about your passion for our business and your hunger to be part of our team. Stop hiding behind a resume, get in front of it.

Ben Lawrence,
Founder, Wolf Heart Sales

Wanna make your resume stand out? Visit the office of your dream employer! Ask to meet the president. Offer to volunteer to work there for a day, even if it’s just sweeping the floors. Hard truth: We business owners don’t care about your resume, we care about your passion for our business and your hunger to be part of our team. Stop hiding behind a resume, get in front of it.

Ben Lawrence, Founder, Wolf Heart Sales

Include a LinkedIn Profile

By including a link to your LinkedIn profile or your resume, you show your online credibility. After all, hiring managers can learn a lot about potential employees by checking out their LinkedIn profiles, so it’s always a good idea to include one in your resume. It shows that you’re willing to take extra steps to get hired, which is always an outstanding quality to have.

Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Rephrasely

Add Infographics or Visual Elements

This can be a timeline of your career growth, a visual representation of your skills and experience, or any other creative way to present your information. Adding color themes, icons, and other visuals can help your resume stand out among the competition, as long as it’s not vividly bright or garnished with busy patterns that clash with the content itself.

Adding color themes, icons, and other visuals can help your resume stand out among the competition, as long as it’s not vividly bright or garnished with busy patterns that clash with the content itself.

Shaun Connell,
Founder, Writing Tips Institute

Align its colors and designs with the content, and help the recruiter screen through the entire resume in one go to get a general idea of your skills and experience. So, adding a visual element and the right color theme is a great way to differentiate your resume from the rest of the pack.

Shaun Connell, Founder, Writing Tips Institute

Make Your Accomplishments Scannable

The best way to help your resume stand out is to list your accomplishments with metrics in bold. A recruiter has tons of resumes to review; make it easy for them as they quickly scan your resume with the list of all of your significant accomplishments. When you bold your metrics, it captures the attention of the recruiter quickly. Try it out and watch your recruiter response increase.

TK Morgan, Founder & Visionary, Tuesday At 1030

Display Your Passion

My tip is not related to certain fonts or color schemes; it’s simply to focus on displaying your passion for the business and taking the time to, even via a summary, show that you not only (a) understand the business in-depth but also (b) genuinely want to work for them.

Wendy Makinson, HR Manager, Joloda Hydraroll

Show Your Personality

Showing personality in your resume can help you stand out from the crowd by giving the reader a sense of who you are as a person. A resume is not just a list of your qualifications and experience; it’s also an opportunity to show the employer what makes you unique and sets you apart from other candidates.

Including a bit of personality in your resume can help the reader get to know you better and make a more personal connection with you.

Piotrek Sosnowski,
Chief People & Culture Officer, HiJunior

Including a bit of personality in your resume can help the reader get to know you better and make a more personal connection with you. For example, you might include a summary of your personal interests or hobbies, or highlight a specific personal or professional accomplishment that shows your character and values.

However, it’s important to strike the right balance with showing personality. While it’s okay to inject a bit of your own style and personality, it’s still important to maintain a professional tone and focus on your qualifications and achievements.

Piotrek Sosnowski, Chief People & Culture Officer, HiJunior

Include that Cover Letter

When looking at candidates, I always give extra attention to those who attach or send a cover letter with their resumes. This shows me they truly want the position and gives me a glimpse into why they would be a good fit or are interested. It’s a great way to get your resume to the top. It also adds a human element to it, as your personality may show more in the cover letter. Always send one; it may be the deciding factor in your hiring. I interview more candidates who send cover letters.

Seth Newman, Director, SportingSmiles

Follow Up

In any job application, you’re going up against many other candidates. No matter how you set up your resume, nothing is going to represent you better than yourself.

If you have the opportunity, it’s worth finding out who the hiring manager is and having a conversation with them about the role. It shows enthusiasm, but it also gives you the opportunity to find out more about the role. That way, you’ll know if it’s right for you, but you’ll also have a head start when you’re interviewed.

Ashlea Harwood, HR & Office Manager, Darwen Electrical Services

Put Your Best, Important Information First

Who doesn’t want a standout resume? It is the first step to getting a dream job. If a recruiter doesn’t like your resume, you can’t express what you know and your skills. Maybe you are better than your resume sounds, but getting through the resume screening can give you a chance to prove yourself.

Most of the time, a recruiter doesn’t read a complete resume to find your skills and achievements. So, it’s better to make it easy for them by presenting them in summary at the top of the resume.

Saikat Ghosh,
Associate Director, HR & Business, Technource

Use the summary section in the resume to put the most important things about you. Present the essence of your best skills and achievements in the summary. It is because most of the time, a recruiter doesn’t read a complete resume to find your skills and achievements. So, it’s better to make it easy for them by presenting them in summary at the top of the resume.

For this, choose the format of the resume that has a summary section, or you can add it to the page if it is not there. This type of summary can stand out on your resume, and you can get an interview call. So, save the best for the most important information.

Saikat Ghosh, Associate Director, HR & Business, Technource

Use Specific Numbers and Action Words

Be specific with numbers and results by using powerful and action words. It doesn’t matter what role you are in; you have created an impact. “I increased revenue by X% by doing XYZ.”

Action words can include: saved, acquired, retained, expanded, boosted, etc.

Stephanie Mantofel, Founder, Bright Link Talent

Focus on Clean, Easy-to-Read Templates

Consider using a clean, modern layout with plenty of white space to make the resume easy to read. The key is to find a balance between a visually appealing design and a professional, easy-to-read layout.

Don’t fall for commercialized CVs. A simple resume with a clean layout and plenty of white space is easier for recruiters and hiring managers to read and understand.

Dominic Hutchings,
Business Development Manager, Wellpack

Don’t fall for commercialized CVs. A simple resume with a clean layout and plenty of white space is easier for recruiters and hiring managers to read and understand. This is important when they are reviewing many resumes. The content of what you write and how you sell your skills and expertise matters.

Dominic Hutchings, Business Development Manager, Wellpack

Every Effort Adds Up!

Every pointer presented by these leaders makes sense, and leaving any of them out of your resume would surely mean giving up on advantage. So the trick is to use every effort in the book to create a resume that not just stands out but also goes all the way even when it’s against some of the best candidates out there.

So add every component that’s mentioned here, and customize your resume not just in line with the position you’re looking to bag but also the employer’s needs and business plans. It’s all about creating a winning mix that stands out!

Do you have a tip that can help in creating a winning resume? Or is there another insight you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.