Melissa Sorenson, Executive Director of the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA)
For decades, schools and universities have worked hard to prepare young people for employment. Students are taught how to write a CV, prepare for interviews and present themselves professionally to prospective employers. These remain essential skills, but they are no longer enough.
Today's graduates enter a recruitment landscape that looks very different from that of even five years ago. Some employers are increasingly reviewing publicly available online information alongside qualifications and experience, particularly where such checks are relevant to the role and carried out within applicable data-protection and recruitment rules.
As someone who has spent many years working in the background screening profession, I regularly speak to students, graduates and employers about recruitment. One thing has become increasingly clear: many young people simply are not aware of how their online presence forms part of their professional identity.
This is not about employers judging someone's personal life or searching for reasons to reject candidates. Employers understand that people have a personal and social life outside of their education and/or workplace.
Responsible background screening is about utilizing the tools available to assess risk fairly, consistently and in context. Where employers conduct social-media screening, they may look for publicly available content that raises legitimate concerns about conduct relevant to the role, while such checks should be proportionate, transparent and assessed in context.
Social media did not exist in the manner it does today for past generations and with that we haven’t taught the current generation of job seekers that their digital reputation can extend beyond their social life and become part of the recruitment process.
Universities rightly invest significant time helping students perfect their CVs, but very few devote the same attention to digital employability. That includes understanding social media privacy, creating a professional LinkedIn profile, developing a positive online presence and recognising how public content may be viewed by future employers. In fact, I have spoken with graduates from leading UK universities who had received excellent career advice but had never been shown how to build a LinkedIn profile or use the platform to demonstrate their interests, curiosity and professional aspirations. That represents a missed opportunity.
Digital employability is not about encouraging students to become corporate versions of themselves. Authenticity still matters. Employers are not looking for perfection. They are looking for professionalism, sound judgement and evidence that a candidate understands the responsibilities that come with joining an organisation.
Just as importantly, students need greater transparency about recruitment itself. Background screening is used in many recruitment processes, particularly where employers need to verify identity, employment history, qualifications, criminal records or other role-relevant information.
The education sector has an important role to play. Alongside interview preparation and CV writing, careers services should begin treating digital employability as a core employability skill. Small interventions, such as teaching students how to audit their own online presence, create a credible LinkedIn profile and understand digital reputation, could have a significant impact on their employment prospects.
The world of work continues to evolve rapidly, driven by technology, changing employer expectations and increasing competition for graduate roles. Preparing students for that future means looking beyond traditional employability skills.
A CV may help secure an interview, but a student's public digital presence can increasingly form part of the impression they make during recruitment. It is time we started preparing young people for both.