Fifteen Per cent of Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Recruit Candidates

More Than One-in-Four Employers in the UK Use or Plan to Use Social Networking Sites to Screen Job Candidates, CareerBuilder.co.uk Survey Finds

Fifteen Per cent of Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Recruit Candidates or Plan to by the End of the Year

Could your future boss be making a hiring decision based on your online profile? According to a new survey from CareerBuilder.co.uk, 27 per cent of employers in the UK said they either currently use social networking sites to research potential job candidates or plan to start. Specifically, 15 per cent of employers said they currently screen potential employees on social networking sites and another 12 per cent said although they do not, they intend to start.

Some of the content on social networking sites that employers have said caused them not to hire candidates include:

Candidate had poor communication skills
Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
Candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs
Candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or a fellow employee
Candidate shared confidential information from previous employers
Candidate lied about qualifications
Candidate used discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc.
Candidate had an unprofessional screen name
Candidate was linked to criminal behavior

ìEmployers are not just using these sites to eliminate candidates, many are also viewing these tools as a way to get a more well-rounded view of a candidate,î said Tony Roy, Managing Director of CareerBuilder.co.uk. ìSocial networking profiles can also give job seekers an edge over the competition. Candidates can use their profiles to better position themselves, network and provide additional information that cannot be found on a resume.î

Hiring managers who said they researched job candidates via social networking said the following content helped to solidify their decision to hire a candidate:

Candidateís background supported their qualifications for the job
Candidate had great communication skills
Candidate was a good fit for the companyís culture
Candidateís site conveyed a professional image
Candidate had great references posted about them by others
Candidate showed a wide range of interests
Candidate received awards and accolades
Candidateís profile was creative

Employers Using Social Networking Sites to Recruit Candidates

Employers are not just using social networking sites to screen candidates, many are also turning to these sites to help them find candidates. Fifteen per cent of hiring managers in the UK said they either currently use social networking sites to recruit potential job candidates or plan to do so by the end of the year.

ìNearly half of employers say on average it takes them more than two months to fill an open full-time position,î said Roy. ìEmployers are increasingly exploring new ways to connect with potential candidates.î

Roy recommends the following tips to favorably position yourself on social networking sites:

1) Clean up digital dirt. Make sure to remove pictures, content and links that can send the wrong message to a potential employer before you start your job search.

2) Update your profile regularly. Make sure to include specific accomplishments, inside and outside of work.

3) Monitor comments. Since you canít control what other people say on your site, you may want to use the ìblock commentsî feature.

4) Join groups selectively. While joining a group with a fun or silly name may seem harmless, it may not give the best impression to a hiring manager. Also be selective about who you accept as ìfriends.î

5) Go private. Consider setting your profile to ìprivate,î so only designated friends can view it.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.K. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.co.uk among 289 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time; not self-employed; with at least significant involvement in hiring decisions) ages 18 and over between June 2 and June 13, 2008, respectively (percentages for some questions are based on a subset of Employers, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 289 one could say with a 95 per cent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of /- 5.76 percentage points.