Daniel Norris

Personal and Professional Development

BUS133

Personal and Professional Development

BUS133
Stephanie Demont
What is the relevance of a Digital Profile as an employability tool?

Daniel Norris
Q12040487

Daniel Norris

Personal and Professional Development

BUS133

What is the relevance of a digital profile as an employability tool?

This essay will investigate and consider the detail around both the necessities and
relevance of a digital profile for the purpose of an employability tool. Sections
included will be introduction to digital profiling, current research, current issues,
implications and finally a conclusion providing relevant opinions ascertained from
additional extensive research.

Introduction to Digital Profiling

Employability has changed dramatically in comparison to recent decades. Direct

economic implications have been introduced, resulting in higher demands for
employment. Employment however is becoming exceeding more difficult to attain.
Business organisations are primarily susceptible to change, directing from a variety
of different processes. Due to the high demand but low release of employment
opportunities, when jobs become available it is essential that organisations therefore
recruit the most experienced and educated candidates possible, and there are many
methods used to do this. Our evolving economy today has seen relevant increases in
the frequent use of technology and advanced media communication profiles by both
skilled and professional bodies. Organisations are obligated to follow this process to
ensure recruitment of the best individual possible. Unfortunately however in order for
candidates to earn high salaries, stay marketable and expand network connections, it
is important for all individuals seeking employment to stay motivated and passionate,
keeping always in mind opportunities to further develop on both new and existing
skills to reach their goals.

For passionate and self-engaged individuals it is important to find alternative ways of

communication using media and digital profiling for constructive networking.
Employers will not be looking to connect with most candidates starting of in the
market today, they will be looking for experience and expertise, making it important
to attain links and contacts with global companies, gaining experience and
developing a personal image and profile recognizable to an array of potential
employers. The choices people make however will vastly depend upon ones needs
and ambition to achieve.

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Current Research

Social media and digital profiling platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and
Google+ are only few of the many tools available that enable students engagement
into industry discussion. This form of profiling allows individuals to showcase their
experience and knowledge to potential employers, giving in addition employers a
better personal connection and view of potential candidates, holding far more value
than simply a cover letter or C.V application form.

There is an array of ways to connectively network with potential and future

employers; one place believed to be essential is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a formidable
professional website, it provides legitimate space for a networking platform as well as
a powerful job board and search engine. Essentially 95% of recruiters use the social
media site in order to both research applicants and fill positions, It is also estimated
to have approximately 187 million users. Its corporate talent solutions are used by 85
of the 100 companies involved. (Tombrakos, 2012)

Students benefit directly from having a LinkedIn profile, the key features of being a
university student provides the opportunity to take part in projects, attain work
experience and gain life skills that perhaps are not possible in employment
hierarchys. Furthermore students are able to release finished projects and work
completed as part of their degree, giving employers powerful material to evaluate
their potential and academic skills at hand. Its a far more efficient process for
individuals requiring contact, especially as displays of current work are available.
LinkedIn allows members to add links, as well as images, documents and employer
links, making it easy and simple to build an accredited portfolio. M.W Cooper an
online journalist agrees also following this short quotation All is a fair game, but a
strong digital presence is one way for employers to attract the best and brightest to
their ranks. (Cooper 2011)

As much as LinkedIn is currently one of the most successful tools available for
finding the dream job, essentially for most people it is not about the job. For many
people using digital profiling comes simply from taking genuine and active interest in
potential careers. Using a digital profile as an employability tool allows fulfillment of
relationships, opportunities, and all other kinds of possibilities that could become

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BUS133

available in the process of connecting with hundreds of interesting people

representing a vast continuum of backgrounds, talents, connections, and
experiences. If not only for employment it is often common to receive constructed
feedback from accredited professionals.

The process of social media and digital profiling furthers, it is responsible for
changing parameters for example, and how people interact, link and operate with
organisations on a global scale and adopted behaviors. Individuals especially
students will realize the importance of social media and the way in which they use it,
not only for the aspect of employment, but also to two help shape online presence
and perception. According to an article by the Guardian,
The current demand for employees to be digitally literate in business
environments is rising. It is crucial that teaching methodologies evolve and adapt to
provide students with digital and social media skills. (G, 2012)

Developing a personal profile through additional online profiles such as websites can
also be very beneficial to individuals seeking employment in a specialist job. A
relevant example of this is through the creation of a Weebly page. Weebly was
originally founded in 2007 by college friends David, Dan and Chris Weebly is
privately funded by Sequoia Capital, Baseline Ventures, Ron Conway, and Y
Combinator. (Weebly, 2014)
The website creator is also available in 11 languages, stretching profiles across
many different nationalities, ensuring its operations stay successful on a multinational scale.

Current Issues

Although the majority of digital profiles pose valuable advantage, there is however
some minor issues that can influence the way a current or future employer perceives
someone. There is currently debate in the employment industry regarding companys
use of social media and digital profiling to identify and screen future employees,
however the proverbial mouse is in the other hand. According to a recent survey,
28% of universities students plan to seek employment using LinkedIn
compared to slightly more than 7% plan to use Facebook, a platform formerly seen
as primarily social. (Forbes, 2011)

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Personal and Professional Development

BUS133

Social media and digital profiling can often leave users in a slightly vulnerable place.
When using these networking sites individuals must be have a key understanding of
what is expected before activating posts or comments for other people to see. Its
often-good practice to think about whom and which sites are allowed access to
Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. When deciding to share social and personal content
publically, it is essential to ensure that it works to ones advantage. Haefner advises
in his journal Take down or secure anything that could potentially be viewed by an
employer as unprofessional (Haefner, 2013) defining only the necessity to share
content that specifically highlights personal qualifications and accomplishments on a
positive level.

As well as looking at the forms of information professional enough to post, it is also

essential that the information that is provided online related to job background and
accomplishments is consistent, Haefner also quoted,
Dont assume an employer will only be checking you out on LinkedIn. They
may also check Facebook, or even Twitter and Google+ (Haefner, 2013)
The constructive and hypothetical story we reveal to employers can affected,
therefore adapting the material eliminated negative disadvantage to its users.

Implications

Similarly to many other subjects based on employment, and the areas that shape the
way we approach markets and industries will always pose implications for both
employers and employees. There are many employer implications resulting in
essentially a wide range of benefits associated with using social media in
recruitment, some forms include; cost savings, increasing of applicants reached,
efficient targeting of recruitment based on specific groups of potential candidates and
geographical location.

Cost effectiveness and targeting efficiency is potentially a key implication adhered to

by organisations when researching candidates, according to a statement from Pets
and homes Head of Internal Auditor Having this role is saving a lot of money that
would have otherwise been spent on a recruitment agency, which is what we would
have done. We now have access to the same tools as recruitment agencies. (Pets
at Home 2013) This is allowing targeting of suitable and reliable candidate in any
given location to be provided with a recruitment opportunity.

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Personal and Professional Development

BUS133

While social media does in fact offer increased advantages to employers when
considering economies and targeting recruitment, however using social media to
recruit also carries certain implications. The most serious are legal risks, taking into
consideration broader ethical questions to follow. Employers have been able to
request certain background and reference information regarding potential job
applicants, but fortunately have been self-restricted by cost and legalities of data
sharing without consent. Practice in some cases however has been granted
acceptable however whether the practices are ethical provides greater margin for
debate.

Implications continue to further both affecting both parties of an organization. When

organizations start to follow trending material, for example using screening through
digital profiles, this does create a margin for debate regarding the political and legal
aspects involved in this method of recruitment. In comparison to standard face-toface interviews, recruiting online doesnt give the same advantages. Companies can
face difficulties trying to evaluate and successfully verify that all information obtained
is legitimate. Information can often become edited and misused when taken from
digital profiles and media sites due to the common concept of social desirability. This
is often influenced strongly by an individuals perceived audience.
Conclusion

Extensive research into the professional and relevant sources used in this essay
demonstrates a high demand and increased use in recruitment via digital profiling.
For many people the outcome of attaining a position in a professional industry related
to personal skills and accomplishments is essential, and a digital profile will be the
starting source of gaining valuable contacts with national employers whilst having the
opportunity to regularly broadcast work and achievements. On the other hand
however if the path of a digital profile is chosen it is essential that in depth research
has been conducted into the minor disadvantage regarding aspects of security and
data misuse. When using a digital profile it is also important that individuals know
and understand acceptable and professional behavior to use, including professional
and grammatically correct writing styles. Digital profiles are extremely important and
provide opportunities further than those that can be attained from other sources, the
opportunities are endless, the constant evolution of our economy will allow growth
and sustainability in this area.

Daniel Norris

Personal and Professional Development

BUS133

internal resourcing at RS Components an electronics distributor in the UK on

average, hiring for a post using social media costs them 714, compared with 7,500
via more traditional methods. (RS Components, 2013) that cost implications also
have

o The purpose of this section of the assessment is to be able

to assess your written skills in both an academic and business
context.
o Your target audience will be potential employers who are
interested in current research (both industry related as well

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Personal and Professional Development

BUS133

as relevant academic research) about the topic.

o This must be your own work; ie you cannot submit work
that is the same as other students or those that you may be
working with in your group. If you do so, then any such work
will be subject to our academic misconduct guidelines &
procedures, ie replication, collusion, plagiarism etc).
o This section should be approximately 1500 words. It
should be written as a briefing paper (in the 3rd person) and
contain (at a minimum) the following sections: Background,
Current Research, Current Issues, Implications (ie employers,
students etc) Conclusion, Recommendations.

Daniel Norris

Personal and Professional Development

BUS133

Bibliography
Cooper, W.M. (2011)
How Your Digital Profile Impacts Your Job Search. Available:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/05/04/the-good-thebad-and-the-scary-how-your-digital-profile-impacts-your-job-search. Last
accessed 18th December 2014.
Forbes. (2011).
The Good, The Bad and the Scary: How Your Digital Profile Impacts Your
Job Search. Available: http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-. Last
accessed 1st December 2014.
Haefner. (2013).
How Social Media Can Help (Or Hurt) You In Your Job Search. Available:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/04/16/how-socialmedia-can-help-or-hurt-your-job-search. Last accessed 22nd December
2014.
People Director, Pets at Home. (2013)
The use of social media in the recruitment process Available:
http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/0/b/The-use-of-social-media-in-therecruitment-process.pdf. Last accessed 22nd December 2014.
RS Components. (2013).
The use of social media in the recruitment process Available:
http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/0/b/The-use-of-social-media-in-therecruitment-process.pdf. Last accessed 22nd December 2014.
Swan, G. (2012)
Using social media to boost student employability Available:
http://www.theguardian.com/higher-educationnetwork/blog/2012/jun/18/social-media-to-boost-student-employability.
Last accessed 2nd December 2014.
Tombrakos, J. (2012)
Reasons you need a vibrant digital profile. Available:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2012/11/30/7-reasons-you-need-avibrant-digital-profile. Last accessed 30th November 2014.
Weebly, Inc. (2014)

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About Us Available: http://www.weebly.com/about. Last accessed 5th

December 2014.