More employers are screening potential job candidates by looking at their social networking profiles.
Twenty- two percent of hiring managers said they use social networks to research job candidates, up 11 percent, according to a survey of more than 3,100 employers from CareerBuilder.com Another 9 percent said they don’t use social networking sites to screen potential employees, but plan to start.
Among employers who have screened job candidates through social networking profiles, 34 percent said they had found content that caused them to dismiss the candidate from consideration.
Some of the major areas of concern for employers included candidates that posted information about them drinking or using drugs (41%), posting inappropriate photographs (40%) and badmouthing previous employers (29%).
Social networking profiles gave some job seekers an advantage with 24 percent of employers who researched job candidates social networking profiles found the content helped them to decide to hire the candidate.
Top influences on their hiring decision included the candidate’s background supported their qualifications for the job (48%), great communication skills (43%), and a good fit for the company’s culture (40%).
“Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com.
“As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. Sixteen percent of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers.”
