As a recruiter, you’re always out and about networking and meeting new people to help grow your talent pool. Whether you work for a company or for yourself, you’re always out and about to search for potential talent and grow your database. Since you’re always out in the public, your reputation means a lot, especially online. It can break or break your ability to do your job well and be the difference in recruiting top tier talent or missing out on them.
But online reputation isn’t a topic that’s talked a lot about in the recruitment world. It’s something that is undervalued and overlooked. Although you’d like to share your personal photos, statues, special moments and everything else that happened in your daily life know that it can be a huge risk for recruiters.
You probably do social media background checks on potential candidates, so you already know what can happen if you post something that’s not deemed appropriate. Also, a candidate that declines a role can also go online and create fake news and articles about you and your services to get back at you.
While this is a rare case that’s taken to the extreme, know that it can happen. Recruiters need to walk a fine line of needing to personalize their talent outreach, while still protecting their online privacy. With so many social media pages on the Internet, online recruitment is one of the top avenues for recruiters to source for talent.
But the lines of being social for work and for themselves are continuously being erased. Then there’s the industry itself that’s getting a bad online rep. Many believe it’s a cutthroat industry for recruitment agencies as employers hire numerous agencies to place a single position, pitting each one against each other. Then there’s the fact that others think that it’s only a commission culture, with claims arguing that recruiters will place any candidate just to get their fee.
Online reputation is very important in the world of recruitment, so it’s important to know how to monitor your own personal brand online. After all, it’s your brand you need to protect. Here are some tips on how to do that:
Do regular Google searches
Think of your online reputation as you would your credit score. One minute you have the best score, then overnight it can plummet to the bottom. Then, you’ll need to put in lots of work to get it back up again. Make it a point to do regular Google searches on yourself, your company, agency and the like to see what’s being said out there.Before you do the search, you’ll want to sign out of your Google account or open a new browser in incognito mode to perform a fresh search. Let Google be your home base for understanding and managing your personal brand and reputation as a recruiter. When you do your searches, make sure to look beyond the first few pages
Set up Google alerts
Time is important when dealing with anything bad regarding your online reputation, so it’s recommended that you set up Google alerts with your name and any brand that’s associated with you. This way you’ll get notified as soon as something hits the Internet. It really takes less than a few minutes to set up some Google alerts and it’ll save you from loads of headaches down the line.
Build a solid reputation online
To build a solid reputation online, you’ll want to build your brand around your expertise or a specific story. Become an expert at whatever it is that you have knowledge of and expertise in so that people will know you for that. Be consistent in everything that you do.It’s consistency that will help you become a reliable source and the person to go to for whatever you choose. Also, pick your social media platform and then own it. Don’t bounce from a social media platform. You won’t be able to build a community since you’ll have content all over the place.
Take advantage of LinkedIn
As a recruiter, you’re probably already using LinkedIn to source talent, but you’ll also want to use the site for your own reputation given it’s a professionally focused website. Take advantage of all of its features, for instance: - the vanity URL - making your profile public - getting endorsements - recommendation and more.
Use Talentwolf
Talentwolf allows you to enhance your personal brand and increase your online presence. Create your profile and you’ll be able to gain more exposure in a competitive marketplace. As the fastest growing platform for review and reputations management for recruiters, you’ll be able to gather feedback with clients, interact with them and demonstrate why you’re a top-rated recruiter in the industry.Whatever your reviews are, you need to manage the way it will impact candidates’ and clients’ perception. First, it will highlight your ability to use their feedback to improve their experience in the future. Second, it is also a great tool to follow up with your past candidates and clients, to let them know that you will always be available if they are looking for new opportunities or staff in the future.
Think of these positive reviews as a way to promote the value you place on people that promote your brand. Third, you will be able to manage negative reviews in the best possible way, in order to make sure they don’t damage your personal brand. As a recruiter, you’ll want to be careful as to what you post on your own social profiles to protect your online brand. But don’t forget to be proactive and protect that image buy staying on top of your online reputation!
