A survey by online job site CareerBuilder.com of 3,169 hiring managers found 22 percent of them screened potential staff via social networking profiles, up from 11 percent in 2006.More info at Reuters.
An additional nine percent said they don't currently use social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace to screen potential employees but they do plan to start.
The survey found that 34 percent of the managers who do screen candidates on the Internet found content that made them drop the candidate from any short list.
The top area for concern among the hiring managers with 41 percent citing this as a downfall were candidates posting information about drinking or using drugs.
The second area with 40 percent of concern were candidates posting provocative or inappropriate photographs or information.
Other areas of concern to arise from social network sites were poor communication skills, lying about qualifications, candidates using discriminatory remarks related to race, gender or religion, and an unprofessional screen name.
But the survey found hiring managers scouring social network pages was not all bad with 24 percent of these managers saying they found content to help them solidify their decision to hire that candidate.
22% of hiring managers screens your online life
Posted on Monday, September 15 2008 @ 0:54 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
A survey by online job site CareerBuilder.com unveiled almost one in five hiring managers will use social networking websites, like MySpace and Facebook, to research job candidates. The information they find on your social networking profile can help you get a job but it can also ruin your chances: