According to a recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder.co.uk, 53 percent of employers in the U.K. are using social networking sites to screen potential employees.
The survey, which was completed in December and had more than 450 respondents, also noted that 12 percent of employers in the U.K. plan on using these sites to research job candidates.
Of the employers who currently utilize social networking sites to screen potential employees, 43 percent use search engines, 12 percent use Facebook, 12 percent use LinkedIn, 4 percent use Twitter and 3 percent search blogs.
A rather large 43 percent of employers said that they chose not to hire a candidate based on what they found on social networking sites. This included lies about qualifications (38 percent), poor communication skills (31 percent), discriminatory comments (13 percent), posted content about drinking or using drugs (10 percent), provocative or inappropriate photos or information (9 percent), bad-mouthing previous employers, co-workers or clients (9 percent), and sharing confidential information from a previous employer (8 percent).
On the flip side, half of the employers in the U.K. who responded to the survey found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire candidates. This included support for qualifications (61 percent), solid communication skills (41 percent), a display of well-roundedness (37 percent), a good feel for personality and fit (28 percent), creativity (24 percent), professional image (22 percent), awards and accolades (15 percent), and good references posted by others (15 percent).
Back in August, CareerBuilder revealed its results from a similar survey for U.S. employers. This survey, which included 2,600 hiring managers, found that 45 percent of U.S. employers reported using social networking sites to research potential employees, up significantly from 22 percent in the prior year. Eleven percent planned on using social networking sites for screening purposes in the future.
Of the employers who used the Internet to screen job candidates, 29 percent used Facebook, 26 percent used LinkedIn, 21 percent used MySpace, 11 percent searched blogs and 7 percent followed potential employees on Twitter.
The information technology industry was the industry most likely to screen job candidates by way of these social networking sites or online search engines, with 63 percent saying so. Professional & business services were second with a 53 percent response.
In the U.S., 35 percent of employers said they found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire a candidate. Additionally, 14 percent overlooked a candidate because he/she used an emoticon in a message, while 16 percent disregarded a candidate because he/she used text messaging language in an e-mail or job application.
Meanwhile, 18 percent said they found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire a candidate.
Sources:
http://www.careerbuilder.co.uk/UK/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr28&sd=1/13/2010&ed=12/31/2010&siteid=cbpr&sc_cmp1=cb_pr28_
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/01/18/employers-using-social-networks-to-screen-employees
http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr519&sd=8/19/2009&ed=12/31/2009&siteid=cbpr&sc_cmp1=cb_pr519_
http://mashable.com/2009/08/19/social-media-screening/
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