Tell me how you behave and I will tell you who you are

Monday, 3 july 2017 | Redacción CEU

Human Resources have changed thanks to the advance of digital technology. If you are looking for a job, you are most likely not to find it with old school methods. Do you have a Linkedin account? Do you update your profile frequently? Do you configure your social networks privacy? Have you ever googled your own name? If the answer is no, you are in a hardship. The future of recruiting is on the Net and your reputation is at stake. Take care of your personal branding!

Have you heard about Moore's Law? More than a law in the strict sense, it is a prediction that has driven technological development during the past decades, and it is expected to continue at least for anorher four years. Its premise is that every two years the number of transistors per inch in the integrated circuits will double itself. In English, technology is becoming more complex, less expensive and its development is exponential. As a rule, what is now a revolutionary breakthrough only accessible to very few people –either for having a high cost or for being just a prototype–, in a few years it will be affordable to the masses and more complex devices will be developed. At the same time, somewhere someone will be developing a more complex, improved and less accessible device. The cycle repeats itself over and over again, it is the era of digital transformation.

The exponential development of digital technology is unstoppable and, as far as possible, we have to adapt to it. We recently discussed the importance of having e-recruiters in the Human Resources department. Today we are turning the tables. If companies recruited candidates through social networks and search engines, professionals should catch up –specially if they are in an active job search situation–. 

Your personal branding is important

You may think that you only have to worry about your personal brand if you are looking for a job, do not be overconfident. Imagine that your boss orders you to meet with a representative of a company to close a deal and you do not know anything about the organization. What is the first thing that you would do? Googling and searching information on the Internet about it. Surely, the supposed representative of the company will be doing the same thing with you and your company. What do you think would happen if the first thing that he/she finds on the Internet about you are the photos of your friend Peter's bachelor party? You will lose credibility and seem unprofessional. On certain occasions, a misuse of social networks can even lead to the dismissal of the worker. 

Companies are becoming more aware of that having an adequate reputation is important, not only with regard to their clients, also when establishing relationships with other agents in the work environment and being more competitive. In addition to generate trust, a good capital on reputation is money. Manuel A. Alonso Coto, Director of the Human Resources Program of the Institute for Advanced Management, in his masterclass on digital transformation and e-recruitment claims that <<if, for example, a company searched for a director of treasury, they would  trust in someone who has a good reputation online because surely he/she gets credit lines with better conditions>>. Our reputation can have a direct impact on our company.

Personal branding takes time and effort. The image you project can help you getting opportunities, but it can also take them away, it depends on how you use it. Benefits are tangible,  your reputation makes you visible, generates a competitive advantage, increases your chances of being successful,  gives you credibility and facilitates your work.