Social Media Costing More Candidates Potential Jobs in CareerBuilder Survey

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social media concept A nationwide survey released by CareerBuilder has found that 43 percent of hiring managers that use social media for candidate research have found information leading to a candidate not being hired, a 9 percent increase from last year. The survey also found that the number of companies using social media sites for researching job candidates rose from 37 percent in 2012 to 39 percent today. There was a variety of content that employers found concerning that eventually removed a candidate from the running. The top mentions included:

• Provocative/inappropriate photos or information (50 percent).

• Information about a candidate drinking or using drugs (48 percent).

• Bad mouthing past employers (33 percent).

• Poor communications skills (30 percent).

• Discriminatory comments about race, religion, sexuality, etc (28 percent).

• Contradictions with qualification listed on a resume (24 percent).

On the opposite end, some employers (nearly 20 percent) found information making a candidate even more attractive. Top mentions from this group of employers included:

• Conveying a professional image (57 percent).

• A good feel for a candidate’s personality (50 percent).

• The display of a wide range of interests (50 percent).

• Information that supported professional qualification (49 percent).

• The display of creativity (46 percent).

• Good communication skills (43 percent).

• Great references posted by other people (38 percent).

“Employers are using all the tools available to them to assure they make the correct hiring decision, and the use of social media continues to grow,” Rosemary Haefner, VP of human resources at CareerBuilder, said. “For job seekers it is essential to be aware of what information they’re making available to employers, and to manage their online image. At the same time, hiring managers and human resources departments must carefully consider how to use information obtained from social media and whether it is relevant to a candidate’s qualifications.”

 

By Joshua Bjerke