Reviewing candidates CVs on social media

Reviewing and sharing tips for candidates to improve their CVs is quite common among many HR platforms. However, the popularity of social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok has recently turned this into an increasingly viral online trend.

Each video reviewing a CV can attract hundreds of thousands of views, therefore turning HR experts into famous key opinion leaders who need to be careful with what they are sharing.

Hoang, an engineering student at a famous university in Ho Chi Minh City said, “I got rejected many times when I first looked for a job. I guess it was because my CV was not well organised or it did not sufficiently highlight my strengths. But it was difficult to connect with HR professionals to have my CV looked at. However, since the trend of reviewing CVs on TikTok, my CV can easily be reviewed just by sending an email to the HR experts and career consultants on the platform.”

However, this trend could turn into a social media crisis and become out of control if HR influencers exceed their limits.

Recently, a screenshot from a CV with a candidate’s personal information was publicised by an HR site and the situation became worse when it received a sarcastic and teasing response.

Many netizens expressed their anger against this action as they claimed it was unprofessional due to posting the candidate’s personal information.

According to Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, deputy CEO of Talentnet, “Social media is a double-edged sword. HR professionals can demonstrate their knowledge, thereby building their personal branding through social platforms. However, if they are not careful, they can lose their professionalism by publicising candidates’ personal information or becoming increasingly biased with over-emotional inputs. These people should remain professional whether online or offline.”

Three tips to navigate the trend of reviewing CVs

Here are the secrets Huong highlighted to help maintain professionalism when sharing and reviewing candidate CVs on social platforms:

- The consent of the candidate – no one wants their personal information to be turned into an open discussion without their permission, even with good intentions. Candidates should be given a heads-up about the pros and cons when sharing their CVs online, thus setting the limits of what to, and what not to, share beforehand.

- Always be objective – subjective comments or over-the-top criticism should be avoided for CVs that do not meet the standards. Commenting on mistakes and providing solutions to improve candidates' CVs will help create a professional image in the eyes of the candidate and others.

- Maintain the utmost confidentiality of candidates’ personal information – a CV contains various bits of personal information such as name, age, phone number, email, and work experience. The act of sharing this information not only shows a lack of professionalism but can also cause legal issues. Candidates’ personal information should be covered when shared and focus should be placed on commenting on how the candidate displays their work experience and skills.

“Candidates, especially the younger generation, always seek professional guidance to effectively prepare for their career path. Amid the social media boom, sharing and commenting on candidate CVs on social platforms helps to level up the quality of the candidate pool and can add value to the community. However, HR professionals must be recognised as such – dedicated and professional,” shared Huong.