Did you know that, according to February 2011 data from 3,000 MyWebCareer users, 35% of Facebook profiles analyzed have a potential negative sentiment? This could be abusive language, references to drugs and alcohol, and negative statements that may relate to work.
When a user signs up for MyWebCareer and connects their Facebook profile, it is assessed for potentially negative sentiments and shared with the user, and anything negative can lower their Career Score. However, by simply clicking the MyData tab within MyWebCareer, the potentially negative sentiments are highlighted and the user can delete those from their Facebook Wall — immediately increasing their Career Score.
MyWebCareer is a Microsoft BizSpark One company. Signing up only takes seconds — simply connect your LinkedIn or Facebook account in one click. And, unlike other “reputation management” products out there, MyWebCareer is career-specific.
Now you’d be hugely curious on what else can MyCareerWeb do, the website which offers free online service that enables you to uncover and evaluate your digital footprint.
In an interview with Nip Zalavadia, co-founder and director of operations for MyWebCareer, we get to know why knowing your digital footprint is important and more so how career professionals must take advantage of this service to get a competitive advantage.
Q. As we see from your website MyWebCareer, this service enables us to uncover and evaluate our digital footprint. Why do you think it is important for us to be aware of the digital footprint and do you think? How many Millennials do you think are aware of how employers look at their digital footprint?
In today’s job market, your online footprint is becoming an increasingly important part of your online brand. Employers and recruiters no longer rely solely on background, credit, and reference checks to evaluate job candidates or existing employee’s suitability for a position. Companies are making increasing use of Internet search engines to locate and evaluate online information that may relate to a job candidate or an employee. According to CareerBuilder.com, “One in five employers use social networking sites to research job candidates, and close to 59% of them are influenced by your online presence.”
While Gen Y is very much in tune with social media, I think a high percentage of them will be surprised to learn that their online information is being used to determine their suitability for a job. It’s not just information that they’re evaluating — but also how you carry and present yourself to others, as well as the quality of your posts. In the end, hiring decisions typically come down to face-to-face meetings, but one should take steps to ensure you pass initial set of tests to land a face-to-face interview.
Q. Which feature on MyWebCareer would be most beneficial for a job seeker?
There are two. Our merged view of your LinkedIn connections and Facebook friends gives you a complete view of all the companies that are part of your personal network. Use this to your advantage and get a referral to the job you covet.
Secondly, as someone once said, “Knowing is half the battle.” Arm yourself by knowing what information is out there about you by using MyWebCareer to uncover and evaluate your digital footprint. You can also stay on top of it with our monthly monitoring service. Plus, it’s FREE, so you’ve got nothing to lose!
Q. What is Career Score and why is it important for me to know mine?
A Career Score is analogous to a credit score, but whereas your credit score is based on your financial behavior, your Career Score is based on real-time analysis of your online presence, behavior, and accomplishments and how these will be perceived and valued by potential employers or business colleagues. We uncover and evaluate your digital footprint for career specific references and produce a Career Score, which is available to you only unless you choose to make share it and make it public.
Q. Is MyWebCareer linked to LinkedIn? And also how is it different from Klout?
MyWebCareer is not affiliated with LinkedIn. However, we do evaluate and monitor your LinkedIn profile as part of our service. Your LinkedIn profile and network are a crucial component of your professional online brand.
MyWebCareer differs from Klout and other online reputation and influence services in that we focus specifically on evaluating the impact your online presence can have on your career. Our goal is to provide career professionals and new entrants into the job market with an innovate set of tools that enable them to gain competitive advantage in a tough job market through leveraging a strong online presence.
Q. Any other info that you would like to share with the Careerbright readers on MyWebCareer?
Long gone are the days when our online and offline lives were separate. Your online profiles (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) are all attributable to you. Pause before you post an update or tweet, but on the same note, use it to your advantage. After all, it’s very likely that potential employer or a business colleague will stumble on it.