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For students aspiring for plum postings, leaving a ‘good digital footprint’ is vital, as companies use social networking sites for background verification of their potential employees, according to Priya Ramakrishnan, Director, Corbelsoft Technologies, Coimbatore.
She said the days of “separating online and offline personas are over and done with” and students cannot have a split personality – one for online and another for off line.
Speaking at a Business Line Club meeting sponsored by the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd (TMB), Tuticorin, at the Avinashilingam University, Coimbatore, she said it was reported that nearly 91 per cent of the companies use social networking sites for recruiting and “to stalk and check on future employees.” She said it was essential that the students leave a “good digital imprint” for recruiters to spot them online. Priya Ramakrishnan said whatever information employers want about potential employees could be sourced from social networking sites. The applicants could be disqualified on several grounds — inappropriate photos, badmouthing others online, addiction to alcohol or drugs or misrepresentation are some that could snatch away the job opportunities.
Referring to the growing reach of the social media, she said India has about 137 million internet users, and their number has been growing every day by 0.15 million. With this growth, it is impossible to advice the students to keep away from such sites since these have become an extension of their personality.
She said social media offeres great benefits like networking with friends in similar professions, landing good jobs, being proactive and community building . But too much time spent online would lead to students losing focus, affecting their academic performance; she warned that students multitasking with social media tend to get 20 per cent lower grades compared to students who are focused more .
Priya Ramakrishnan, who spoke on ‘Women in Internet - Carve your Future,’ said technical communication was a very skilled specialisation that was in demand in IT, networking, telecom, medical and engineering industries.
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