Over Half of Employers have Rejected Candidates due to Social Media Updates
Employers are continuing to look at social networking sites in order to find out additional information on potential candidates and they are not impressed with what they are seeing!
HR and Social Media
A new survey has revealed that 55% of employers who research job candidates on Social Media have come across content that has caused them to not hire the applicant.
47% of employers are currently using social networking sites to research job applicants. In addition 12% of employers who don’t currently search their candidates on social media plan to start.
It isn’t only social media sites that are being targeted to research a candidate; 50% of employers also use search engines such as Google to research candidates with 21% stating that they do this frequently or always.
The most common reasons employers are rejecting candidates due to their findings on social media include:
- Finding information about their drinking/drug habits – 45%
- Seeing the candidate has bad mouthed their previous company/fellow employees – 39%
- Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information – 38%
- Finding out the candidate has lied about their qualifications – 37%
- Candidate has poor communication skills – 35%
- Finding out the candidate was linked to criminal behaviour – 25%
- Seeing discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc posted by the candidate – 20%
However, 34% of employers that do research candidates on social networking sites state that they have found content which has increased the likelihood of them employing the candidate. The most common reasons for the employer to hire the candidate due to their social networking presence include:
- Their background information supports their professional qualifications – 49%
- They were well-rounded and showed a wide range of interests – 44%
- They had great communication skills – 44%
- Their online site conveyed a professional image – 40%
- The candidate’s personality was clearly a good fit with the company’s culture – 37%
It is very important for job seekers to remember that a lot of what is posted online by them or by others about them can be found quite easily by potential employers which can affect their chances of being hired further down the road. Therefore, candidates need to remain vigilant and pay attention to privacy updates from all of their social networking accounts so that they are aware of what information is available for others to see. This can include taking control of their own web presence by limiting who can post on their profile and monitoring the posts they have been tagged in.
The DO’s & DONT’s to keeping a positive image online:
- DO clean up your social media sites and information posted about you before beginning a job search. Any photo’s, content and links that could work against you should be removed.
- DON’T forget others can see your friends too. So be selective about who you add or accept as a friend.
- DO consider creating a professional group on social media sites in order to establish relationships with recruiters, potential referrals and thought leaders.
- DON’T mention your new job search if you are still employed.
- DO keep the content focussed on the positive, whether it relates to professional or personal information and ensure to highlight specific accomplishments in and outside of work.
- DON’T post statuses or information regarding inappropriate actions or decisions
- DO ensure to choose a suitable profile picture
Source: onrec.com
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