Do You Check on Social Activity Before Hiring Employees?

A recent poll from CareerBuilder.com revealed that 40% of hiring managers do check social media profiles of potential candidates to help determine their eligibility for an open position. When are job candidates going to learn not to post inappropriate photos and comments? One might think they would learn this lesson for life in general, but especially when trying to impress and land a job. Instead, many social media users make errors causing them to lose job opportunities, an issue that could easily be avoided.

Of the 40% of hiring decision makers that do use social media when considering job candidates 13% said they have made the decision to reject an applicant because of something they saw on their social media profiles. Reasons for not hiring candidates:

• 49% cited inappropriate comments or photos,
• 45% cited photos showing the candidate drinking or using drugs,
• 35% said the profile showed poor communication skills,
• 33% said the candidate criticized a previous employer,
• 28% said they made discriminatory or offensive comments relating to race, religion or gender,
• 22% said they’d lied about their qualifications

Looking for a Job?

If you are looking for a job, it just makes sense to lean towards being conservative rather than hope that potential employers are not looking up your profiles on the social channels. Do not make the mistake of thinking that your postings are private or off limits to potential employers.

Are You Hiring?

If you are in the process of hiring candidates, it makes sense to investigate the top candidates’ social profiles. This can give you a better insight to what their personalities are like.