Companys want to control their employees by using the transparent Candidate create. When hunting for the best job, they are not even aware of this.

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Open company in companies?

A young man once told me at the re: publica that he had just been fired. Reason: He took two days to demonstrate against the castor transport in Gorleben. Although that was not the official reason for the dismissal, but he was clear made that his political stance did not suit the company.

Elsewhere told me a Headhunterthat of course always customers exist who want to completely exclude certain groups of applicants – for example Women or foreigners. And that he sees his task in fulfilling the customer's wishes and pre-selecting the applicants accordingly. Understandably, both do not want to be named. The examples show two things: Discrimination in the Job Search also find without Internet and social media. And: So completely arrived in the tolerant and open Society, which many social media enthusiasts wish we are not yet.

What are employers really interested in?

In November 2010, the Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM) asked 1.504 managing directors and HR managers how they found out about future employees on the Internet. Result: 49 percent of the companies surveyed gather information about their applicants on the Internet. 45 percent of all companies use Google, Bing or special people search engines. 21 percent researched social Online-Networks that have a professional focus, for example Xing or LinkedIn. 17 percent of all companies also search in social networks such as Facebook or StudiVZ, which are more private Character to have.

It is true that employee data protection is discussed again and again, according to which a Google check of the applicant is generally only possible if the employer has pointed this out to the applicant and which in any case severely restricts the collection of data in public networks. So far, however, § 28 of the Federal Data Protection Act applies, according to which all personal data that are generally accessible may be stored and used. This also applies to the information that applicants openly disseminate about themselves in social networks. So do applicants have to fear that their lives will be systematically screened? In the USA there are already service providers for this check applicants for their social media past in the past seven years sends the client a detailed dossier after completing the research. The life of the applicants on the presentation plate?

Personnel wave them off

If you ask Germans HR, as it turns out in practice, they dismiss: on average, each recruiter receives several hundred applications for one job advertisement. There is hardly any time to look through all the application documents that have been sent in studieren and weighing up information - let alone accumulating any more material. The last five, if at all, are googled selection come. Joachim Dircks, managing director of the Hamburg online personnelMarketing-Company Cyquest, from experience:

"Although there are exceptions, Candidates-Screening is not a popular HR sport. As many recruiters told me - and we speak to a few... - again and again very clearly insured firstly, there is no time at all for this and secondly, in addition to ethical concerns, the benefit is simply not seen. Or as someone said: 'Why should an applicant's party photo at Facebook put off, we had a lot of partying during our studies. Not everyone had an iPhone in their pocket ... '”.

At the University of Erfurt, “The influence of social network sites on the application and recruitment process” was examined. Applicants and HR managers were interviewed. Result: HR managers compare the information available from a selection of applicants with that from the Internet to determine whether applicants are telling the truth or not and search for additional (personal) information via social network sites in order to avoid “wrong appointments”. However, the HR managers also know that they must not trust the data from the network without restrictions: On the one hand, they can be incomplete or out of date.

Applicants know how to present themselves

On the other hand, of course, many applicants know that and how they have to present themselves in social networks. This, in turn, can distort the picture – and companies know this too. In view of these disadvantages, searching for information on the Internet is considered by many to be (too) time-consuming, with the benefit being unclear. The search scope of recruiters is based on the “value” they attach to the Information or according to the curiosity to be satisfied.

Whether and how applicants are googled ultimately also depends on the personal surfing behavior of the recruiter. XING is perceived exclusively as a business network, while studiVZ is hardly relevant for professional matters. Facebook on the other hand, it is going through an interesting development and in a sense represents a middle ground, but one that is used as a private one Network tends. And: Some HR managers even have guilt, because they die Privacy the applicant does not want to hurt. On the other hand, they often even expressed understanding.

Personaler swimming naked

wrong Welt? Or just the differentiated perspective on a topic that is also repeatedly discussed hopelessly polemically? I spoke to various HR managers about this topic for my research and the impression that you have to weigh things up on a case-by-case basis and see them differently is confirmed. Robindro Ullah from DB Service, for example, advocates a change of perspective - after all, googling goes both ways: "I also google the HR people I'm going to talk to. Would I reject the employer if I found the recruiter nude swimming scenes? And is that even the question?”

Heiko Schomberg is HR Business Partner at the management consultancy Detecon International GmbH based in Bonn - an industry, i.e. in the serious Appear mandatory is and one would like to assume rather conservative views. Schomberg told me in Conversation: “It always depends on the specific case. A 'drinking photo' at Facebook weighs less for me than errors or abnormalities in business profiles on Linked-in or Xing. But even then it depends on the type of position: I have already ignored esoteric interests in the Xing profile when it comes to a coreITposition without customer contact to the outside.”

Companies like to be open and tolerant

Finnish Konsu Accountor Group advises companies operating in Russia and Ukraine Shops want to do. Konsu also has a more conservative look on social media channels such as Twitter or Facebook is the Financial management-Outsourcing service provider not yet active. The head of the Stuttgart branch, Konstantin Graf zu Dohna, says:

“Our activities in Internet networks run through Xing. Basically, for me, every person is to be separated into private and professional, which means that what someone does in their free time is none of my business. Nevertheless, extremist statements or pictures, contributions and comments that suggest a dubious character would already be included in the overall evaluation of the applicants. If someone publishes a party picture, that's totally ok, but if you loudly proclaim that all Russians are corrupt, we have one Problem. However, we don't scour the internet to find or rule out such things."

It may be natural for some companies and HR professionals to be more open and tolerant than they really are. The shot can, however, in times of employer rating platforms, Twitter and Facebook fast backfire, because companies are increasingly unable to control the statements of their own employees. Therefore, in the end, economically those will be in the lead who not only act liberally and openly - but also really live it, as Tobias Kärcher from Atenta Personalberatung writes: "The employer of Future will learn that its employees a privacy have, and that this also takes place online. Many companies already understand this, and they're the ones giving those who spook "YOO!" at every party photo. or "AHA!" call, snatch away the skilled workers.”

If you are good, google back!

Robindro Ullah and the Erfurt study have already indicated: Applicants also google it today Application and job interview the personnel. And they know that too! Tips on how to get helpful information.

Trust is good, control is better?

Companies that are business customers of Vodafone are unlikely to belong to the group of cosmopolitan, tolerant companies. Because the telecommunications company advertises on its website that companies can control and monitor their own employees. All you need is the right mobile radio equipment so that the mobile phone can be located via GPS or mobile radio: "Taxes your mobile employees or vehicle fleet with the positioning platform Vodafone Locate in the Vodafone network. Ask like "Where's my vehicle shipment?" or "When will the fitter arrive at the customer's?" are now a thing of the past. With the location platform Vodafone Locate, you can see at a glance where your employees or vehicles are or where they are arriving at a customer appointment.”

For some Executive It may sound tempting to be able to monitor where your employees are 2009/2002. Finally, no one can stroll around during working hours, go shopping in between or put their feet up. But apart from the fact that the cloud-based infrastructure for this all-round carefree monitoring is questionable in terms of data protection law, because although it practically does not require any investments in its own IT infrastructure, it also runs completely via Vodafone: such control attempts can harm the image of the company that are known to be devastating. In 2003, for example, Deutsche Bahn had to admit that in 173.000 and 240.000 it had around XNUMX of its XNUMX employees without their Background had checked. In November 2010, the group drew the necessary conclusions from such scandals and the constant discussions about collecting applicant data: in the future, only the data that the job seeker sends should be used in an application. Deutsche Bahn has voluntarily banned itself from googling for applicants. And if employees are suspected of corruption in the future, company law has a right of veto against snooping within the group.

Control frenzy of companies: sniffing at work

The thirst for control of many companies is also reflected in the use of social networks Workplace. After all, apart from wasting working hours, employees could carelessly divulge secrets or commit legal violations for which the company would then be liable. A quote from the well-known investigative journalist Hans Leyendecker at a TAZ media congress in April 2011 shows that such fears are not entirely unfounded: “It is common practice for journalists at Facebook look for people who have expressed dissatisfaction with your company for information about the company. " Leyendecker, editor at Süddeutschen Newspaper, made it clear that it is by no means utopian for important information to get out through social networks unhindered and quickly picked up by the media there. And of course that can seriously damage a company.

The Measures, which are taken against it, are often wrong: In many places, employees are prevented by a firewall from accessing social media services such as Twitter or Facebook to use at all. Such regulations can easily be bypassed with Blackberry and Iphone - unless you also carry out bag checks. In addition, employees can vomit about their employers even after work. Employer rating platforms like kununu.com/ even invite you to do the anonym. And last but not least, companies naturally cut themselves off from the flow of information on the Internet. So there have to be better solutions.

Social media guidelines: loss of power in installments

So far it works Communication In many companies it is like this: For every message that is given to the outside world, the blessing must be obtained from above. Depending on the size of the company, this often means long release chains in which the report is passed from pillar to post. When the news is breaking news, such delays are particularly annoying – for the company, but also for the media. And sometimes reports of personal sensitivities are even downright delayed. Especially in large companies, PR departments often see themselves more in the role of preventing communication than as a communicator. And these conditions are now encountered by social media. The PR departments are angry because they fear for their benefices. And the bosses have Anxiety, Control and thus lose power. And now? The Solution in many companies is to allow social media in small doses. Loss of power in installments, so to speak. Numerous companies have created so-called social media guidelines. These are clearly defined regulations, what with Twitter and Facebook may be set - and what not. This means that employees can act independently without having to ask each time. But how exactly does it work in companies?

At the chemical company Bayer, employees are only allowed to express themselves privately in social media, but not on behalf of the company, as Lothar Oppenhäuser, Head of Electronic Media in Corporate Communications explains: “Every employee knows the guidelines for dealing with Web 2.0 and knows that they are Business use of the Internet and the security of IT systems come first. We trust our employees to be responsible for their private use of the Internet. That no one officially tweeted on behalf or on behalf of Bayer or “facebooken ”, which is not authorized to do so, is just as natural as the protection of company know-how. Most employees therefore always express their private opinion. Restricting access to social networks does not make sense to us, because only those who are familiar with the social web are able to develop further communication potential for Bayer and to exchange ideas with others. ”

Respond to criticism in good time

Even the car manufacturer Daimler does not want to do without the potential that social media offers for marketing and PR, as blog manager Uwe Knaus explains:

"Social media engagement can help to identify trends early, to react to criticism or to initiate your own topics ... It is therefore in our interest to encourage your social media engagement. However, we also notice time and again that there are still some uncertainties when dealing with these new forms of communication. In order to inform employees about the possibilities and risks, we have put together information in the form of a social media guide - deliberately not a new set of rules. Because employees do not need any additional rules for Twitter or Facebook. You don't have to tell them what to tweet and what not to tweet. They usually know that very well. Before an employee takes an external eMail writes, or chats from the sewing box in a large group at the regulars' table, he thinks carefully about what to tell whom. Twitter or Facebook are just new, large get-togethers that are confusing and where not just friends sit. We will explain this to you. Applicable legal provisions, employment contracts and existing internal guidelines also continue to set binding limits. "

The examples clearly show that for many companies, social media is a tightrope walk between the fear of being too open and the desire to maintain a positive image. And they approach step by step. Because in order for social media to really work in German companies, these companies would first have to dare to really try out the new medium and also allow mistakes from which they could learn. you would have to Trust in their employees, their initiative and creativity develop. And they really need to open up and be transparent to the web, their customers, and potential employees. So companies would have to give up some control and power. gewinnen could do a lot, as the examples show: a better image, new customers, the best employees. You just have to dare to let go. Less control, more trust!

Use social media for professional benefit

What is the point of social media? If Johannes Lenz has his way, social media really brings a lot. The political scientist owes his dream job to Web 2.0. One created especially for him. At an advertising agency in Düsseldorf he is – guess what – responsible for the social media area. His secret of success: blogging, twittering and networking with passion. One Idea, which he enthusiastically tries to pass on. A network of interested interlocutors that has grown slowly but steadily over time. And about that finally his new employer on him I aufmerksam became. Over his Strategy, which isn't one, he says himself:

“For me, looking for a job via the social web means positioning yourself according to your skills and interests. That means creating selected social profiles that are updated regularly, seeking exchange and dialogue with other users and, in doing so, Humour not to lose. And of course, you also have to dare something, be open to approach others and not only take, but also give. After all, you should try to develop yourself every day through your own curiosity.”

As you Like It

Mashable.com is retweeted an average of 124.000 times a day, but a tweet only gets 0,38 clicks on the site. At Facebook on the other hand, every like, share, comment and shared link get 3,31 clicks on the page. Facebook Mashable actually brings 8,7 times more clicks than Twitter. This shows that every social network differs significantly from other networks in terms of user behavior. And therefore each network also fulfills very different requirements needs: Faqebook simply has more users and is the much more popular network. The People stay here longer and can Article Like and comment directly and many posts remain in the user's field of vision for longer. So the level of interaction here is more direct and personal than on Twitter. Twitter acts more like a water heater that boils up information quickly, but burns it up again just as quickly. A tweet is therefore very quickly lost in general noise. Twitter therefore acts more like a news distributor. Xing, on the other hand, is something for people for whom everything is too confusing.

In principle, there is something for everyone, you just have to choose the right one. Namely that which fits your own goals and wishes. Unfortunately, many people believe that they now have to become a member of this or that network, just because it's hip, instead of simply thinking: What do I actually want? Some time ago a colleague, also a freelance journalist, asked me if I believed that a freelance journalist absolutely needs a website. Or whether just a Xing present tense is enough. I can already see various marketing people cry out indignantly: “Of course he needs one! You have to be present on the web! " Well, I don't think so. At least not in principle.

In this case, professional self-marketing still works in very traditional ways: My colleague mainly works for a radio station, has very good, long-standing contacts there and gets his orders through this network. Of course, he also does a lot of referral marketing – but without the internet. In addition, his clients themselves are hardly active on the Internet. In addition, he works on a very special, quasi-scientific topic: Unlike, for example, my blog, the usual one Career-topics are dealt with and are therefore constantly found under all possible search terms via Google, the probability that a potential client will search for exactly his topic via Google is extremely low for my colleague. So the question is justified: Isn't a Xing profile enough?

Who uses which network?

One could argue that your own website can never do any harm. Secure. Now my colleague is anything but enthusiastic about the Internet. He uses Xing professionally and Facebook rather privately. Maintaining his own website would either be expensive for him or take a lot of time. Because the benefits of such an alibi website based on the motto: "Look, I'm online" I consider comparatively small. I think that if you have an online presence, then it's right and that means at least your own blog with regular articles. This is because the more frequently a page is updated and the more content it contains, the higher it ranks in the search engines. To put it simply, in reality optimizing a page for search engines is a far greater effort. So if I want a website or a blog that brings in orders because the customers find me on the web and directly from mine Competencies If I can convince them, then I have to do something about it. For a pure alibi function, simply to be represented on the Internet, a Xing profile may sometimes even be better: It doesn't seem as amateurish as simple, just put together websites and customers can see skills, career and references at a glance.

The example illustrates: Not everyone has to do everything online just because everyone does it that way. Nobody should facebook or use Twitter just because it's hot. Much better - and more time-saving - is: Try different options, find out in peace which tool best meets your own wishes and needs - and then use it. When the media agency Universal McCann asked 37.600 Internet users in more than 50 countries about their social media habits in their last Wave study, information was also obtained about which tools are needed for which purposes. The answer: In addition to instant messengers and chat programs, social networks such as Facebook or Twitter: By far, 50 percent of those surveyed use them for precisely this purpose. Those looking for entertainment, on the other hand, prefer to frequent video sites (40 percent) - even more than networks like Facebook (37 percent). For many, however, social networks are the most important way of meeting new people. In contrast, in order to market themselves or to express themselves creatively, most users prefer to use blogs (more than 30 percent), but also social networks (more than 40 percent).

Everyone the network that brings them the most

Social media doesn't just consist of Twitter and Facebook. Both networks may seem attractive at first glance act, because they are perceived as a closed space in which there are millions of people who you get to know and with whom you can talk, exchange ideas, negotiate etc. can. But many people don't think about the fact that there are other ways of reaching people in the endless expanses of the Internet. Paradoxically, it is exactly this unlimited freedom that is the problem for many: For example, when I am traveling with my own blog in the endless expanses of the Internet galaxy, without any connection to any Facebook-Friends or followers - how do you want to find me there?

And also that you can use Twitter or Facebook has only limited options to present oneself according to one's own wishes is not an obstacle for many, on the contrary: Twitter and Facebook attractive for many people: You simply don't have to choose between an infinite number of possibilities decide, but only does what is specified. Practical and convenient. The wide choice, the variety of possibilities and the freedom to do what I want - that seems to scare a lot of people. There is no other way to explain the intensity with which the discussion about the Internet continues. Especially when topics such as data protection and security are addressed.