So you went clubbing last night, ate an Angus burger for lunch and also made two new friends all in the span of 24 hours. If you’re wondering how I know, it's because you posted it all on your Facebook and Instagram. There is no harm in being socially connected; but be cautious, as what you share publicly may effect your future prospects.
See also: Jobs in Malta
One particular survey found that 65% of employers admitted to going through the social network pages of potential employees. Maybe more important to note is the fact that 34% of these stated that they found content that lead them not to hire an individual. In another published article, it was revealed that 1 in 10 job seekers aged between 16 and 34 were rejected by en employer because of inappropriate photos, pictures of alcohol use and discriminatory comments on their social network profiles. On the other hand, your profile can act positively towards your chances of being hired, particularly if it portrays you in a professional manner and conveys your skills and qualifications.
Responsible posting is not only encouraged because it may impact potential employment, but also for security purposes in that irresponsible posting can make you a target for theft and violence. A couple of tips suggested to social media users is not to use the platform to rant and complain about your partner, or even worse, your boss or colleagues. Technology has completely transformed the job seeking process, with recruiters using online job searching tools and social networks such as Linkedin. This aforementioned social network allows adverts to be specifically targeted based on skill-sets, and for job seekers get adverts on jobs matching their qualification and experience.
Among other technological improvements are a high number of mobile apps related to job searching that have been launched in the past years. Video conferencing is also being used as a tool for interviews, particularly when the employer and the potential candidate are geographically restricted from meeting up face-to-face.
During the annual conference of the Malta IT Law Association (MITLA) last month, it was revealed that there is no specific legislation that determines an employer's legal position on issues of social media surveillance. A number of local lawyers stressed that social media surveillance causes the possibility of discrimination by employers.
New data protection legislation by the European Union will give more rights to the citizens, together with tighter regulations on the right to be forgotten and clear and affirmative consent for data processing. Unfortunately, it is not yet clear on what users can and cannot do over the internet. Therefore, it is better to be safe than sorry.
KONNEKT was recently interviewed for a programme run by the Malta Employment Association, regarding the use of social media and it’s effects on recruitment.
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