Social Media Used To Evaluate Job Seekers [Infographic]

Social Media Used To Evaluate Job Seekers [Infographic] It should come as no surprise that employers are using social media to evaluate job seekers. The information on the web is fair game! Heres what you need to know to make sure youve got the right online presence! Anything and everything you find online tells you something about the person. It provides insight into who they are and whats important to them. Now, keeping this in mind, think about the types of status updates you share. What are the themes or patterns of your updates? So it comes as no surprise to hear that employers are checking out job candidates online, right? Whatever you have put out there on social media is fair game public status updates, comments on other peoples updates, mentions of you by others on social media, written recommendations on LinkedIn the list goes on. In order to understand whats out there, go search for your name using Google. And if you discover some less than flattering information, clean it up. CareerBuilder just released their annual survey on how companies are using social networking sites to evaluate candidates (and why). Heres a summary of the survey and what you need to know. Where Do Employers Look? The short answer is social networking sites and search engines. A recruiter, HR rep or hiring manager may log in to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and search for your name or email address to find any mentions of you (70% use social networks). Or they could simply type your name into their favorite search engine (66% use search engines). Deleting Your Social Media Profiles Wont Help If you are thinking about deleting all your social networking profiles or locking them down so no information is viewable, thats a big mistake. Employers expect to see something. If they dont find you online that is one more reason to reject a candidate according to 47% of employers. Why Do Employers Use Social Media To Evaluate Job Seekers? Employers are looking at your online presence to back up your claims, verify work experience, see if youre a fit with the company and more! Its easy to find this information and it takes less time than trying to reach candidates on the phone and have a conversation. These are the most popular things employers are looking for: 58% are looking for information on social media that supports your qualifications for the job 50% want to see your professional online persona 34% are looking to see what other people have said about you online 22% readily admit they are looking for a reason NOT to hire you You Can Influence The Results Employers say they found information online that positively swayed their opinion to hire a candidate. If you are serious about improving your odds on getting hired, then try some making some of these adjustments: 37% background information supported their professional qualifications for the job 34% was creative 33% site conveyed professional image 31% well-rounded, showed wide range of interests 31% got a good feel for the job candidates personality, could see good fit within company culture 28% great communications skills 26% received awards and accolades 23% other people posted great references about candidate 22% interacted with companys social media accounts 21% posted compelling video or other content 18% had large number of followers or subscribers Now that you realize how employers are using social media and your online presence to evaluate candidates, stack the cards in your favor by adding status updates and content that you know will reflect your best professional image. Some Info Hurts Job Seekers Just as information you share online can help, it can also hurt your chances as a job candidate. Heres what employers said turned them off of a candidate: 40% provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information 36% information about them drinking or using drugs: 31% discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc. 30% linked to criminal behavior 27% lied about qualifications 27% poor communication skills 25% bad-mouthed previous company or fellow employee 22% screen name was unprofessional 20% shared confidential information from previous employers 16% lied about an absence 12% posted too frequently Even Current Employees Arent Safe Employers monitor current employees too (48%)! In fact, 10 percent do it daily! And employees have been disciplined or fired because of what they posted online. (34%) Just Be Smart Now that you are aware of how employers are using social networking sites to evaluate candidates and monitor employees, you can be smarter about what you share. If you are looking for more help in proactively updating your status across social networking sites, this article will help: 10 LinkedIn Status Updates for Job Seekers Heres the full infographic to share! Employers Are Checking You Out Online [INFOGRAPHIC]- 2018