How social you are affects your work life

NEWDELHI: Do you have thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram? You will probably be in demand in the job market.

Companies, traditional and modern, are using candidates’ follower strengths as ‘deal breakers’.

“While social media checks were common in the job market, the number of people who follow you is a new criteria, especially in a situation where the decision to choose between two people is tough,” said Tarun Katyal, chief human resource officer at MTS India. “Though it is not the only criteria, overlooking it can cost a good opportunity.”

MTS India uses tools, including web crawler, which maps a potential candidate’s social media footprint — the number of followers and type of posts, among others.

To be sure, the trend has picked up for specific job roles, such as fashion designers, media and entertainment executives, app developers, software designers, content creators, digital marketers and social media managers, among others.

For instance, while hiring a technical resource, industry giant IBM looks through the candidate’s tech blogs and Twitter handle to measure his/her followership.

“The candidate is evaluated for his social media presence, which includes followers, digital footprint and social proficiency on key platforms,” said DP Singh, vice-president and human resource head for India and South Asia, IBM.

However, it’s not just the number of followers that matter.

“It’s about the content, thoughts you share, and for which you are being followed. Skilful blogging, humorous thought process and efficient professional networking are noticeable,” Katyal said.

While Twitter can be an apt platform for what Katyal is looking for, Instagram can be used to showcase designing, photography and presentation skills, among others.

Facebook and LinkedIn, on the other hand, can be used for both purposes.

Internal research at IBM show that there is a direct correlation between a candidate’s behaviour on the web and his or her offline behavioural style.

Many other companies, including HCL, Woodland, Jubilant FoodWorks, Aviva Life Insurance, Hindustan Power Projects, Adidas India, RPG Group and Godrej Group, browse through a candidate’s social media profile before hiring. Startups, such as Voonik, Giftxoxo and Roposo, also use similar tools.

Ambika Sharma, managing director at digital marketing firm, Pulp Strategy Communications, said: “Apart from considering the number of friends or followers, we delve deeper and unravel the true interests, motives and personality of candidates based on the kind of posts, tweets or updates they share on social media. Their social media accounts also, in most cases, give away their social behaviour, industrial knowledge and of course, the communication and interpersonal skills.”