WORKABLE TIPS By PAUL KARA
Prospective job seekers should not only be mindful of the do’s and dont’s at interviews but also the power of the social media.
MY DAY begins with a cup of coffee and the laptop in front of me. I usually check all my e-mails before switching over to the social media to see what the rest of the world has been up to, when I was asleep.
One morning, while scrolling through the Facebook (FB) wall, I was suddenly awakened, not by my coffee, but by what was staring at me on the screen. It was the picture of a male’s behind with his trousers pulled down revealing some flesh!
I would not have batted an eyelid and would have dismissed it as a drunken prank, but I could not. That image happened to be on the FB account of one of my company’s new employees who was still on probation! While my “liberal” side was holding me back from reacting, the “corporate” side of me felt that it was rather inappropriate since I was in a business which dealt with image building.
That thought was not mine alone as it soon became a topic of discussion among the company’s staff members and managers. Eventually I took this up as a case study and discussed it with my corporate contemporaries.
Job applicants must try to conceal their tattoos during job interviews and refrain from posting inappropriate pictures of themselves on social media sites.
Many of them were in support of the young man saying that it was his personal space and that he should be allowed to say “whatever he wants” in his FB account.
However, one cannot run away from the fact that displaying such an image does influence the kind of impression others would have of him. Also, bear in mind that emplo-yers have their private space too.
The FB can either make or break a person. Many potential employers use social media sites to check out job applicants. Some of my clients have told me that they have also gotten impressed with prospective employees simply by checking out the applicants on FB.
There are always tell-tale signs from the photos and wall entries to help with the assessment of a person’s character. My clients have been impressed by some of the photos they see of their interviewees such as hobbies in photography, cake decoration, postings on charity outings and outdoor activities.
So pretty much like the mohawk hairstyles, earrings and tatoos, how do employers view such liberties? Sometimes when graduates leave college or university, they forget that in the job market such liberties are not taken to kindly.
In a typical corporation, the manager is most likely to think that such people may be rebels and may have issues with the organised structure that is typical of the corporate environment.
Many young job applicants may think otherwise and believe that earrings, tattoos and fancy hair colour is a show of independence and expression. While I do not believe this is entirely wrong, it is a risk to take, especially when first impressions matter. A general manager told me that he viewed anyone who wore a cap indoors or who had a pair of sunglasses over their heads as disrespectful and rude.
When he was shortlisting his candidates for management trainees, he would weed out such individuals even before they were interviewed. It looked like he was biased, but he was the employer and had the right to do so.
The first impression is the key to making the potential employer consider you soon after the interview and which will determine whether you eventually get the job.
A sales manager recently said the first thing he did after he had shortlisted his candidates for the interview was to “… google the applicant’s name. It is incredible what you can find.”
After having said what needs to be done to take a safe path in a job interview, it does not mean that employers are unaware of the potential of the Generation Y workforce.
This is the generation that believes in the motto “live first ,work later”. They also have strong views on “rights” and working for the community.
Employers are impressed by the aspects of asserting rights and CSR (corporate social responsibility) projects which are very much community-based.
Most employers have an idea as to what to expect from the Gen Y workforce, but they somehow resent the manner in which these young job applicants communicate and convey their demands and interests.
So if you are a Gen Y “amoeba”, you may want to keep in mind the following suggestions in order to get that interview. Also make sure you don’t have bad body odour, lie about your qualifications, or gripe about your ex-boss. Remember that when you have a mohawk hairstyle, try to comb it down and remove the earrings at least for the interview. The employer will notice your effort and will interpret it as a gesture of respect for the interview.
It is easier to introduce these additions once you have established yourself in the company.
Be sure to weigh the consequences carefully before you decide to use the social media channel to air your grievances about current or former employers. Find out which aspect of the company would make you shine with your Gen Y qualities. It is not wrong to assert your rights; you just need to find the right forum.
■ Paul Kam is a lawyer by training. He has worked with private and public sector leaders throughout Asia and has designed and led several transformation, alignment and strategic change initiatives. With his understanding of market conditions in various industries, he is passionate in partnering with clients to shift and align mindsets and behaviours of leaders and employees. He is also a member of the Malaysian Institute of Management and is a certified team profiler and a life and wealth coach.
(Source: http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2011/12/11/education/10044684&sec=education dated Sunday December 11, 2011.)
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