Work reputation in a 2.0 environment

EXPERT OPINION Silvia Forés admits to googling the applicant’s name in a selection process. You want to know the image of your future employee, and they should take good care of their image inside the company and in social networks.

Traditionally, the Company has played a paternalist role of protecting its employees providing them with the adequate tools to be trained and develop their potential. With the arrival of the web 2.0 revolution and the use of social networks, managing their own reputation and networking are major challenges for employees.

Both professionals and employers are now constantly exposed to public opinion. Companies have always sought to safeguard their reputation. Now times have changed and not only companies are responsible for maintaining an excellent image but also the employee him- or herself must be alert, not only as a company representative but also in his or her own interest to preserve a good personal reputation, which can easily be questioned through social networking.

All good professionals, from now on, must take into account at least four things to manage their reputation and personal branding. Let’s see:

First, they should take advantage of the multiple channels of information at their disposal to keep up, not only the opportunities arising at the company.

Second, if they do not want to miss out, they should be constantly training themselves. This means taking into account the great number of online courses at the same time as training courses offered by the company. In view of the large number of candidates available on the job market, no one can afford to be left behind in terms of knowledge.

In addition, every good professional should be able to manage his or her own networking. This is increasingly important for the development of both the company and the employees’ careers.

And last but not least, the good professional should keep an eye on his or her reputation by making good use of social networks and avoiding any kind of action that could jeopardize his or her personal branding or his or her company’s brand.

A proof of changed times is that it can be stated that the professional has practically more technology at his home than at the company. That is why right now, employers do not only expect their employees to make good use of information technologies put at their disposal at their workplace, but also of all the technology around us und of the great quantity of information we are exposed to. This is a sensitive issue to be considered by companies.

Meanwhile, Human Resource consultants dedicated to recruitment will not only ask for references before hiring but will also google the applicants’ names so that the Internet will tell us who they are and what they do… just in case.

Human Resources Director at Bové Montero y Asociados