Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 1, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
“I think applicants need to plan their Web 2.0 presence strategically to remain competitive in future,” says career adviser Svenja Hofert http://www.karriereundentwicklung.de, who recently published a job-application guide with Eichborn. According to Hofert, the primary aim is to present yourself so that you can be found online. The applicant has a duty to take the initiative, should recommend themselves and consequently be active rather than passive. The trend is also moving away from photographs towards application videos.
“It is great for applicants that they can actively use blogs, videos, podcasts, social networks and other tools in their job search,” Marc Emde, managing director of Cologne personnel service provider KCP Executives http://www.kcp-executives.de , tells pressetext. In general, the number of applications has increased because email is faster and costs nothing. This has made it more difficult for researchers and HR staff to select from the abundance of applicants. “Networks such as Xing help find the ‘right people’ for vacancies. Reaching and approaching them through existing contacts has become much easier. However, applicants often still do not use the new technical possibilities Ms Hofert mentions, such as posting a video. Furthermore, an estimated 80 percent of applications still need improvement despite seminars, books and so on.”
For this reason, KCP Executives has developed a tool called Concludis http://www.concludis.de that gives applicants the opportunity to design their CV according to the European DIN 5008 standard for applications. “This is a very clear variant that ensures all important information always appears in the same order, making it much easier for HR staff to compare applicants, including qualitatively. Applicants can change and add to their CV throughout their lives,” Emde explains.
However, everything always has two sides. “What used to have only a limited impact as gossip at the bakery now spreads through Web 2.0 in seconds,” journalist Thomas Gaul writes. Anyone moving around the Internet inevitably leaves traces. And if embarrassing photographs from a boozy party circulate on one of the various social networks, this could significantly reduce the chances of an applicant who wants to present themselves seriously. “Specifically at the virtual level, you should keep an eye on your own name, that is, ‘google’ it, think carefully about where and in which forums you want to engage and which topics you want to be associated with. You should consider how privately you are visible online (photos, etc.),” Susanna Wieseneder http://www.wieseneder.at , former head of the communications department at Austrian Post, tells Die Welt.
So-called reputation management therefore calls on everyone to actively manage their own person. Headhunters and potential employers now look very closely at what Facebook, StudiVZ, Xing or MySpace reveal about a potential employee. New online services such as ClaimID, iKarma and FindMeOn are already advertising that they can help interested people improve their digital reputation. (
