by Chris Durst Updated Nov. 17, 2023
Before you apply for any job, take some time to look at your social media pages. Not just Facebook, but all of your social media accounts.
According to a CareerBuilder survey of employers, over 50% of employers have found social media content that has caused them to NOT HIRE a candidate.
Other findings included:
“Seven in ten employers (70 percent) use social networking sites to research job candidates during hiring process- Nearly half of employers (48 percent) check up on current employees on social media- A third of employers (34 percent) have reprimanded or fired an employee based on content found online.
As social media permeates all aspects of our personal and professional lives, what you post online can have serious and lasting consequences. Employers who found content on a social networking site that caused them not to hire a job candidate said these were the primary reasons:
- Job candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information: 40 percent
- Job candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs: 36 percent
- Job candidate had discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc.: 31 percent
- Job candidate was linked to criminal behavior: 30 percent
- Job candidate lied about qualifications: 27 percent
- Job candidate had poor communication skills: 27 percent
- Job candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee: 25 percent
- Job candidate’s screen name was unprofessional: 22 percent
- Job candidate shared confidential information from previous employers: 20 percent
- Job candidate lied about an absence: 16 percent
- Job candidate posted too frequently: 12 percent
On the other hand, those that found content that led them to hire a candidate said it was because they saw:
- Job candidate’s background information supported their professional qualifications for the job: 37 percent
- Job candidate was creative: 34 percent
- Job candidate’s site conveyed a professional image: 33 percent
- Job candidate was well-rounded, showed a wide range of interests: 31 percent
- Got a good feel for the job candidate’s personality, could see a good fit within the company culture: 31 percent
- Job candidate had great communications skills: 28 percent
- Job candidate received awards and accolades: 26 percent
- Other people posted great references about the job candidate: 23 percent
- Job candidate had interacted with company’s social media accounts: 22 percent
- Job candidate posted compelling video or other content: 21 percent
- Job candidate had a large number of followers or subscribers: 18 percent”
Just a reminder to take an unbiased look at your own social media accounts. Try to see them through the eyes of someone who has never met you.
WOULD YOU HIRE YOU based on what you see there?
If not, be sure to make the appropriate changes before you hit the send button on your next application.
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