Here we go again. I promise I am not making this up, this is just another day in the life here at Search Solution Group. I would love to post the profile picture of this candidate I’m about to tell you about but for privacy reasons just imagine a man dressed up as a scary clown. Our most experienced recruiter was working on an engineer position with a HUGE Fortune 200 company and found a solid candidate. He was able to have a conversation, had a good resume and enough experience to be dangerous. Things were going well, the first interview was solid, the second went even better, then the NIGHTMARE BEGAN. Out of nowhere he starts to tell us about his new girlfriend and online business, let’s just say it was a little to personal. Whatever happened on the phone that day raised every RED FLAG to my recruiter. As a good recruiter does she did a simple internet search, and she found his photo on a popular social media site ( this was the crazy painted clown/ WWF wrestler face I was talking about at the beginning of this post). As it turns out he ended up being more interested in his own business, so I wish him success, but I think there is a valuable lesson that needs to be shared with my friends.
Please Please Please WAKE UP and realize that you are not the only person who can see your Facebook page or find a video of you on YouTube. We all have friends who post the occasionally inappropriate comment or picture from a Saturday night. However this is his profile picture that is defining him, maybe not defining him forever, but at the moment when you are searching for a new job and every employer in AMERICA has access to the WORLD WIDE WEB. You would think a candidate would be a little smarter. I promise you that we are not the only people looking you up or googling your name when we start the interview process.
I figured out that the candidates we are working with have a much better chance of getting a job offer from our client when we take the time to prep them for the interview. The things to say and more importantly not to say are so important, but I was shocked when this picture was sent to me. I laughed with one of my favorite hiring managers, about the crazy things she and I see and hear during the interview process but this one takes the cake.
I am not trying to make fun of this situation(don’t be surprised), but I am truly trying to spread the word and share some knowledge. PLEASE be aware that your public internet profile is exactly that, PUBLIC. We can all see it with minimal effort. If you have to paint your face or you enjoy dressing up like Lady Gaga on weekends that aren’t in October at least hide your profile or wait till you at least land the job.
Gnozzo Knows 