CareerBuilder: Social Media Posts More Frequently Affect Hiring Decisions

A new survey from CareerBuilder found that 51 percent of employers who research job candidates on social media said they’ve found content that caused them to not hire the candidate, up from 43 percent last year and 34 percent in 2012. Another 43 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates, up from 39 percent last year and 36 percent in 2012. Additionally, 12 percent of employers don’t currently research candidates on social media, but plan to start, according to the national survey.

The most common reasons to pass on a candidate included:

• Job candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information – 46 percent

• Job candidate posted information about him/her drinking or using drugs – 41 percent

• Job candidates bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee – 36 percent

• Job candidate had poor communication skills – 32 percent

• Job candidate had discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc. – 28 percent

• Job candidate lied about qualifications – 25 percent

• Job candidate shared confidential information from previous employers – 24 percent

• Job candidate was linked to criminal behavior – 22 percent

• Job candidate’s screen name was unprofessional – 21 percent

• Job candidate lied about an absence – 13 percent

However, one third (33 percent) of employers who research candidates on social networking sites say they’ve found content that made them more likely to hire a candidate. What’s more, nearly a quarter (23 percent) found content that directly led to them hiring the candidate, up from 19 percent last year.