You know that social media is an important tool for job seekers, but did you know that employers are using it too? A survey conducted by Harris Poll for CareerBuilder showed that around 60 percent of employers now use social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter to research potential job candidates.
What employers look for on social media
While you may think that hiring managers are simply looking for a reason not to hire a potential employee, that's not completely the case. According to CareerBuilder, although the survey did show that 21 percent of hiring managers admitted that they were looking for information that would lead them to not hire someone, in most cases, the hiring managers were actually searching for information that would support a candidate's qualifications for the job.
As an example, they may check to see if the person has a professional portfolio or what others are saying about the job candidate. Fifty-three percent of hiring managers also stated that they want to know what kind of professional persona the candidate has online.
Who's doing the looking
If you're job hunting and on social media, you should always consider the possibility that an employer may check your online presence no matter what type of industry you want to work in. The Harris Poll showed that 76 percent of information technology employers were likely to check social media, with sales coming in a close second at 65 percent. Financial services (61 percent), health care (59 percent), retail (59 percent) and manufacturing (56 percent) employers also stated that they were likely to perform social media research. Employers in the professional and business service industry were only somewhat likely to perform a search, but even 55 percent of those employers reported that they do.
Digging up the dirt
Despite the fact that most hiring managers state that they aren't actively looking for a reason to stop them from hiring someone, 49 percent report that they did find negative information while screening job candidates through social media. Posts that often turn up and keep candidates from further consideration typically include: provocative or inappropriate photographs, information about drinking or using drugs, racial, religious or gender-based comments that are discriminatory in nature, bad mouthing previous employment and poor communication skills.
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Things that help get the job
Although there are many things candidates sometimes post online that keep them from getting a job, there's still some good news about the process. Thirty-two percent of employers discovered information that helped them decide to hire a candidate. As an example, the background information of the candidate supported their job qualifications, or their website showed that they have a professional online image. Employers often liked the online personality of the candidate and thought they would make a good fit.
Clean up your image
Before sending your resume out, take a good look at your online presence to learn what's out there. Google yourself to find out if there is anything that might make you look less than stellar to prospective employers. While what's on the Internet often stays on the Internet, you can still clean up some of your image by deleting negative comments and removing questionable photos.
Changing your privacy settings may also help keep some information private, but keep in mind that many employers are now asking to "Friend" job candidates and not accepting could potentially keep you from getting the job.
