The Relevance of a Digital Profile as an Employability Tool

Background
Nowadays millions of people focus on creating digital profiles in social networks
such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with friends, upload unlimited
videos and photos on this digital world that allows us to learn more about the
people that we never meet before. For instance this digial networks are allowing to
access information and gives power to gather information at anytime and
anywhere.
After all this dramatic changes, Business world has started to change the vision and
they have started using social networks as a employability tool. The digital
networks such as LinkedIn, is simply using by companies to connect the
professionals to make them more productive and succesful. Because it allows
employers and candidates to get access to people, news, updates and in a cheap
and easy way.
Employability is the most important term in each individuals career and it can be
come up with tight and extensive employability. Moreover, bbc.co.uk states that
employability is the capability to move into and within labour markets and to
realise potential through sustainable and accessible employment. (BBC,2014)
This description suggests that an employability is the most significant thing for the
employers because employability tool observes and measure their ability to labour
markets. In addition to this Employers can easily find employment or employability
tools provides for employers to find suitable employees as they wish. A digital
profile is the background of employees. Basically, Its their online profile which
they present their backgrounds. For instance, LinkedIn and Facebook is the best
example for digital profile.
This briefing paper will examine The Relevance of a Digital Profile as an
Employability Tool. It will address what is a digital profile, Is they relevant to
employability and how its important and Do individuals need digital profile to get

a job? Besides, It will clarify current research, current issues related to the topic,
implications for various individuals and also it will determine recommendations.
Current Research
Digital Profile is relevant for the employability because its provides find a job at
online web-sites such as LinkedIn. In this manner, every employee should have
digital profile. Moreover, it is obviously possible to argue that the internet offers
students four main opportunities. These are;
1. Access to career information
2. An opportunity to interact with potential employers
3. A place to build and maintain your professional network
4. A place to raise your profile and manage your reputation (Longridge D., et.
al,2012)
These kind of opportunities are too much important for the career of employees
and they have chance to access their career information. This movement is bring
about improving and pays more attention about their career. Secondly, employees
have an opportunity to interact with potential employers. This is pretty nice
opportunity increases the productivity between employer and employee because of
interacting each other. Thirdly, they have place to build and maintain their
professional network and lastly, they have place to raise their profiles and manage
their reputations. These are really useful when employees consult for a new job.
Employers can easily Google employees to test on the purpose of their digital
profile.
In addition to these, digital profile is fairly concern about digital career. Digital
career literacy is concerned with the ability to use the online environment, to
search, to make contacts, to get questions answered and to build a positive
professional reputation. Digital career literacy is already important to an
individuals ability to pursue a career successfully, but it is getting more
important. (Longridge D., et. al,2012) On the upshot, individuals should be more
active in the face of social media. Furthermore, social mobility is one of the
significant factor in social media. Employees should gain reputation with being
mobility.

Digital career literacy have the 7 Cs and the seven Cs of digital career literacy is
a framework which describes the skills, attributes and knowledge required to
effectively use the online environment to build a career. (Longridge D., et.
al,2012)
The 7 Cs of digital career literacy and these are Changing, Collecting, Critiquing,
Connecting, Communicating, Creating and lastly Curating. All of these 7 Cs are
identifying the ability.
Social media is central to students employability. To enhance their chances of
career success students need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge
required to become digitally career literate. (Longridge D., et. al,2012) It is a fact
that using digital profile in social media boosts employability.

Current Issues
There are some current issues of having a digital profile, one of the most
significant issue is Privacy issues. As is known, digital profile networking sites such
as LinkedIn and Facebook have seen a boom by individuals in the last century
however, users of these digital profile web-sites are concerned enough about
privacy issues.
Much of the discussion is characterized by hype, and preys on fear. This is
apparent from looking at the wide range of spyware protection products available
on the internet, and the language used to promote these products. (opentracker,
2014) Spywares have chance to capture employees profile and this situation may
end up with frustration.
Without knowing the realities of how their surfing patterns are tracked, and what
is done with that information, many internet users are understandably concerned.
(opentracker, 2014)
In a nutshell, 3rd parties are big trouble for the both employers and employees,
employers may attain wrong profile because of hackers or spywares and this
situation causes a waste of time for employers. As an example, hackers are also
capturing employees e-mail adresses.

Implications
There are to many affects of using digital profiles in business conditions, the
implications of this powerful tool are allowing the employer and candidates to;

Contribution to the economy

Managing the risks

Creates Employment/ Employee trends

First of all, there are some implications of the digital profile about Contribution to
the economy. The Digital sector is becoming the heart of the economy,
underpinning growth and contribution to the economy through the technology it
develops and the services it provides across the world. (UKCES,2013)
specify to what extent Secondly, Managing the risks is one of the most significant
implication of digital profile. Employers may ban employees at work on the purpose
of accessing their own social network account. For instance, some of the
employees posting about secrets of the company to their own social network
accounts. In this manner, companys secrets comes off. Additionaly,
kemplittle.com claims that digital profile should;
1. employees can access such sites, and when, including business and personal
use;
2. make clear that employees should not disparage customers, suppliers,
employees etc on such sites;
3. make clear that employees should not disclose confidential information or
trade secrets;
4. clarify the consequences of any breach; (kemplittle.com, 2014)

Furthermore, another important implication on digital profile; creates employment

trends. Approximately 3 per cent of the UK workforce (826,000 people) were
working in the Digital sector in the UK 2012. The observed increase in Digital sector

employment is more than three times that recorded within the wider economy (1.8
per cent). (UKCES,2013)
Technological variation not only drives the segment ownself from within, whereby
novelty and investigation and progress, but also is driven by the permanent
demands of businesses trying to take an advantage of technology in very wiser and
more abundant ways.
Recommendations

Employees should avoid post emotionally to their digital profiles. As an

example posting an angry tweet while working. It is not really showing
respect to the employer.

They ought to avoid from Unprofessional public profiles such as having a

professional digital profile is increasing the chance about finding a
convenient job.

Additionally they should abstain from Lie/ Cheat/ Plagiarise/ Behavioural

disorders. For instance; Candidates movement s are apparent from their
social network profiles.

Moreover employees ought to abstain denigrate their boss/ employer on

their digital profiles because their employer may easily see on their social
network profiles.

They should not post illegal activities

Bibliography
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