In this article I will not focus on “how social media can help you in your job search” or “tips on how to improve your job search on social media”, there have been so many articles about that already, what we will focus on is the employer side, do they really use social media for screening their candidate? if so then how can Social Media help you find a job?
Based on a survey by GO-GULF, 2 out of 5 employers will do a social media screening on the candidate.
Employers are quickly grasping that a candidate’s social media activities present a far more accurate picture of who the candidate is.Employers show great interest in knowing if a candidate is less than truthful about their qualifications or experience. So whatever you put out there, including random comments, photos and descriptions are seriously considered during candidate evaluation.
Go-Gulf’s survey included the below question
• Why employers use social media to screen candidates
• How many employers have found negative information on candidates via social media
• How many employers have found reasons to hire candidates based on their social media profiles
• Which social media sites are most frequently used by employers to screen candidates before hiring them
Why Employers Use Social Networks To Screen Candidates
|
Reason |
%age |
| To evaluate candidate’s professionalism in terms of social conduct | 65% |
| To evaluate candidate’s fit into the company culture | 51% |
| To learn more about the candidate’squalifications | 45% |
43% of employers said they found information online that helped them decide not to hire a particular candidate.
|
Top Reasons |
%age |
| Inappropriate content posted online | 50% |
| Info about candidate drinking or using drugs | 48% |
| Bad mouthing previous employer | 33% |
| Poor communication skills | 30% |
| Discriminatory comments | 28% |
| Lied about qualifications | 24% |
One in five hiring managers (19 percent) said they found reasons to hire a candidate from their social media profiles.
|
Top Reasons |
%age |
| Professional image | 57% |
| Good personality | 50% |
| A wide range of interests | 50% |
| Background information was accurate | 49% |
| High creativity | 46% |
| Great communication skills | 43% |
| Positive references from others | 38% |
Most Used Social Networking Sites To Screen Candidates
|
Social Networking |
%age |
| 76% | |
| 53% | |
| 48% |
source: http://www.go-gulf.ae/blog/social-media-pre-employment-screening/
So whatever you do out there, make sure you’re looking good 🙂