There has been a lot of talk and debate recently about just how much weight companies put on social media when considering candidates for their open positions—specifically, how much companies are using social media to SCREEN potential hires.
Well, thanks to a recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder, we have a better idea of the situation.
The nationwide survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from February 9 to March 2, included more than 2,300 hiring managers and human resource professionals across all industries and company sizes. The results of that survey revealed a great many things. Two of those things are as follows:
- Thirty-seven percent (37%) of respondents use social media and social networking sites to research job candidates.
- Thirty-four percent (34%) of hiring managers who research candidates through social media indicated that they’ve found information causing them to NOT hire a candidate.
This should provide a wake-up call for candidates, if they’re not already awake when it comes to how their Internet presence affects their career. That’s especially the case if you look at the reasons that respondents gave as to why they screened a candidate out because of what they found on social media:
- The candidate posted provocative/inappropriate photos or information—49%
- There was information about the candidate drinking or using drugs—45%
- The candidate had poor communication skills—35%
- The candidate bad-mouthed a previous employer—33%
- The candidate made discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc.—28%
- The candidate lied about their qualifications—22%
What do you think? Are these good reasons to disqualify a candidate? Should hiring managers use social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to screen candidates? Do your clients use this technique? Do YOU use this technique?