Next time you think about posting naughty video clips or potentially incriminating personal details onto your social networking profile, take a moment to consider a new study that has found more than 20 percent of employers vet prospective employees by visiting their online social network pages.
1-in-5 bosses use social networks to screen prospective staff. Image: zzellers/Flickr.
The study, conducted by CareerBuilder.com, polled some 3,169 professionals charged with the responsibility of hiring staff and discovered that 22 percent of them use social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook to help screen candidates.
Notably, that figure arrives a marked increase against the 11 percent that was returned by a similar survey carried out in 2006.
While 22 percent of those polled said they already access social networks to glean more information about prospective employees, a further nine percent admitted that, although they don’t currently do so, they plan on utilising that method to screen future candidates.
Perhaps worryingly for those with social network profiles who are applying for professional positions, some 34 percent of those who said they do regularly screen said that content uncovered through their research has led to the applicant being struck from the job’s shortlist.
So what should social network users looking to get on the career ladder avoid posting to their profiles?
According to 41 percent of polled hiring managers, a profile history recounting a life of drink and drugs was a major concern in terms of evaluation, while 40 percent also frowned upon the posting of inappropriate imagery and/or personal information.
Other areas of concern noted by the those tasked with assessing the suitability of prospective employees included derogatory remarks of race, gender and religion, lying about professional achievements and qualifications, and the use of poor communication skills.
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