About 71 per cent of employers have been influenced by a candidate’s online presence, according to a survey.

The Bayt.com Personal Branding in the Middle East and North Africa poll has shown that managing one’s online presence and creating a powerful personal brand is more important than ever, with nine out of 10 respondents turning to the internet to search for people they’ve just met or are about to meet.
 
About 54 per cent of the poll’s respondents said they were aware of the concept of personal branding, with 81.9 per cent claiming  to search for themselves on search engines like Google.

About 41.5 per cent of responding companies said they ‘always’ research new hires online before hiring, with a fifth maintaining they ‘sometimes’ do so.

“The large number of companies that research candidates  makes it more essential than ever for a candidate to have a professional and appealing online presence on a leading professional careers platform with significant regional inroads in order to secure a job,” said Suhail Masri, VP of sales, Bayt.com.”

“In fact, even something as simple as a photograph could influence decision-makers, with 79.6 per cent respondents of the belief that their online photo affects how they are perceived.”

About 68.9 per cent respondents felt that current social networks allow them to convey their key strengths at a professional level, while 74.6 per cent are concerned that sharing information online poses a threat to their privacy.

Despite this, a majority (92 per cent) of respondents said that personal online branding increases their career opportunities, with the most important benefits being the ability to showcase their abilities  and connect to their target audience.

About 97 per cent of respondents said they would like to showcase their key skills and expertise in a more creative way.

“The time has never been more apt for people in the Mena region to start shaping and monitoring their online presence,” said Masri.

“Developing a strong online personal brand as the poll shows, is essential not only for job seekers, but also for ambitious professionals at all career levels and in all industries looking to move up the corporate ranks and connect with peers, employers and clients.”

“Our mission of empowerment combined with our knowledge of the importance of branding has resulted in the recently launched Bayt.com Specialties platform, which allows people to harness the power of the internet to create empowering sophisticated and customised online professional profile.” - TradeArabia News Service