Employers Admit to Disqualifying Candidates Due to Facebook Content
My conversations with dozens and perhaps even hundreds of employers who hire college students for internships and recent graduates for entry level jobs have led me to believe that about 75 percent are searching social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace as part of their background checking process. But one question that was harder to answer was how many of those employers have declined to hire a candidate because of content on those sites.
Careerbuilder recently surveyed hiring managers and found that of those admit to screening job candidates using Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites, 34 percent admit to dismissing a candidate from consideration because of what they found on the social networking sites. The top areas for concern among these hiring managers were:
- 41% – candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs
- 40% – candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
- 29% – candidate had poor communication skills
- 28% – candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee
- 27% – candidate lied about qualifications
- 22% – candidate used discriminatory remarks related to race, gender, religion, etc.
- 22% – candidate’s screen name was unprofessional
- 21% – candidate was linked to criminal behavior
- 19% – candidate shared confidential information from previous employers
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: don’t put anything on-line on any site unless you would feel comfortable sharing that information with your favorite grandmother. Posting information on-line is like getting a tattoo in that there’s nothing inherently wrong with it but you have to understand that it is permanent and that people who you may not want to see it will at times see it.
