About 37 percent of employers research potential workers on social media sites, according to a recent survey.
Hiring and human resource managers told CareerBuilder they pursue this avenue of investigation for a number of reasons, with 65 percent saying they want to see how a candidate presents himself professionally. About 51 percent of respondents reported that they use social media to evaluate whether the individual is a good fit for their corporate culture, making that the second most-cited reason. Many also said they try to learn about the candidate's qualifications and see whether he is well-rounded, and about 12 percent said they look for reasons not to hire an applicant.
Despite that focus in their investigations, more than one-third of employers reported finding something on social media that made them decide not to hire a candidate. Employers have been influenced in this fashion by photographs, evidence of alcohol or drug use and signs that an individual has poor communication skills.
In contrast, only 29 percent reported seeing something that convinced them to hire a particular candidate. These managers were swayed by a variety of factors, such as personality, creativity, communication skills and professionalism. The findings suggest that social media can help candidates almost as often as it harms their chances. With concerns about some employers requesting or requiring access to private social media information, future laws and regulations may lead to some HR compliance issues, such as distinguishing between publicly available data and information with restricted access.
