The relevance of a digital profile as an employability tool

Background:
This report will be looking at the use of digital profiles and how they affect the
employment/recruitment process. the report will also provide an depth look as to
the importance of having of a digital profile for students and whether business'
should be using digital profiles when it comes to hiring staff. A digital
profile/persona is a collection of information which is can be analyzed and can be
used to create an understanding of an individual through the internet. (Clarke,
1994) Whether digital profiles should be used by modern businesses compared to
standard employability tools such as face-to-face interviews and paper resumes is
something which will be looked into in this report. The definition of employability is
"a set of achievements skills, understandings and personal attributes that makes
graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen
occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the
economy"(Yorke, 2006) However, it is controversial whether a digital profile provides
a platform for students to gain employment or hinder the individuals chances of
getting a job.
Current Research:
The importance for graduates to stand out and diverse themselves from the
overwhelming crowd when it comes applying for a job is obvious when so many
people are competing for the same position. Redundancy and unemployment
increasing suggests people will have to do more to keep their jobs and get into the
limited positions available. "The new reality is you need a digital profile. Its not an
option if you are looking to earn a living, stay marketable, maintain and expand
your networks and connections" (Tombrakos, 2012). This information suggests that
alongside the importance of the physical interview and paper resume, in order to
expand your demand by employers a digital profile is required. Websites like
'LinkedIn' offers anybody the opportunity to create digital profiles for free, the site
provides the chance to network with other businesses and people. Branding is a
vital part of becoming a successful business. As (Peters, 1997) points out the
importance of personal branding, suggesting that in our way each person is a
business and that each person has the opportunity to promote the brand as the
individual wants. Also, insinuating that we should follow the footsteps of major
brands such as 'Nike' in order to differentiate from other people job seekers.
However, this could lead to issues with people manufacturing themselves to have
more skills than the truly do. This is supported by (Middleton, 2011) "At all costs,

resist. Great brands are founded on authenticity. You don't need to be anything
other than you are: just to tell your story better." Although this could be an issue for
employers, it is the same issue that would be facing with standard techniques such
as people not telling the truth on their CV. Personal branding could be seen as
opportunity to ensure that you are dictating how your image is set rather that your
standard resume being interpreted differently to what you wish chances are that
their brand description won't be what you have in mind"(Kaputa, 2005) Much of this
evidence supports the idea of personal branding whilst creating a digital profile,
there is evidence to show that there is no right or wrong way "It's this simple: You
are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And
there is no one right way to create the brand called you. Except this: Start
today."(Peters,1997)
Digital profiles can be seen as an opportunity for graduates to express themselves
and show their personality and story behind the career which resumes and standard
interviews may not allow them to. "Im surprised how many people dont have a
personal photo on their website, Fishman says. A headshot immediately warms up
any situation and puts down the roots of a trusting relationship" (Emma Johnson,
n.d.) This suggests that the simple added information such as a photo or more in
depth story of the individual could in turn provide an advantage and start the
building of a relationship between a graduate and potential employer. This may be
because it shows more transparency to the employer than would be received
compared to the standard resume.
Current Issues:
Digital profiling can be seen as beneficial to graduates. However, many graduates
may overlook what is on their social media pages when I comes applying for jobs.
"In a CareerBuilder survey of 2,303 hiring managers and human resources
professionals,37% of respondents reported they research applicants SM
information"(Van Iddekinge et al., 2013) This may not benefit the Graduates who
are applying for the position. However, it could possibly help the businesses by
filtering/not considering people who are displaying a bad image of themselves
online. This is supported by (Microsoft,2013) who's survey suggested that 56% of
people don't think about how their actions online could have consequences.
Furthermore it shows that 14% of the survey takers had received negative financial
consequences due to online activities. Because of Privacy issues surrounding issues
like this Tombrakos(2012) conveys that graduates may hold back and not show their
full colours on their profile, which in turn could leave them with a dull profile that
leaves them at the bottom of the pile of applications.
An issue which employers may have to consider is ensuring that after employing the
graduate that the new employee brands themselves correctly digitally because not
only can it affect the graduates' personal image, the employee would now also
represents the company. In addition Bukh (2014) suggests that although there is no

general structure for social media policies in the business world, it is important for
companies to set guidelines to employees rather than set rules.
Benefits for the employer for using graduates with impressive digital profiles is
shown here, Digital spaces allow increased open communication through
anonymity and the eradication of real world boundaries"(Labrecque, Markos and
Milne, 2011) This emphasizes that accepting digital profiles as an employer can
save time and money in the recruitment stage. Furthermore, it conveys that due to
the eradication of boundaries that the internet provides. The ability to promote the
companys image using an employees to further promote the company is a
possibility providing the company provides the correct guidelines.
Although it could be seen as positive move for business' to embrace digital profiles
whilst hiring graduates for available positions, there is the potential for people who
arent computer literate but have other talents to be overlooked. The importance of
physical is reiterated here "Personal branding is highly focused on what you share
with the outside world. But how you conduct yourself and your business on a daily
basis is even more critical" (Johnson,n.d.) This conveys that although it could be
seen as being vital having a digital profile, nothing is more important than how you
physically interact and present yourself.
Universities will also have to take into consideration what the implications of digital
profiles could have for their graduates and whether it could be included the learning
units. This could lead to financial issues, with teaching time and training possibly
being required.

Conclusion:
From the finding of this paper it is clear that digital profiles are going to gradually
used more widely by companies because it is a cost effective tool to filter out less
suitable candidates for the job. In conclusion, a digital profile is an opportunity for a
graduate to differentiate themselves from other competition for a job. The relevance
for graduates is evident. However, the graduates must be sure to avoid using social
media incorrectly and posting information that could subsequently lead to negative
consequences. Universities ought to push graduates towards creating digital profiles
as it could increase the universities rate of employment straight from graduation,
which in hand could make the university more illustrious and desirable to future
students. A suggesting could be for employers and universities to teach and ensure
that the graduates are fully aware of the consequences of online activity to
themselves and the business.
There are several challenges and potential pitfalls when it comes to creating digital
profiles. However, websites such as LinkedIn provide a platform for graduates to
simply network themselves.

References

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