Social network sites are used for various things. For example, it is used to connect and communicate with people, gather information and market products and services. Apart from this, they also play an important role in the process of applying for a job. Recruiters screen prospective employees on their personal profiles, which could influence their decision whether to hire or reject the candidate.
Reppler, a social network monitor service, conducted a survey among 300 recruiters about their use of social networks to scan candidates. Their findings were summarized in the following infographic.
As can been seen in the infographic, more than 90% of the employers screen their candidates on social network sites. In addition, 47% of recruiters indicated that they screen job applicants right after they receive the application. This shows how important it is to create a professional image on your social networking sites.
The reason why most recruiters screen their candidates on social media is, due to that most résumés are not revised more than once a year. Therefore, résumés are not up to date, whereas social media profiles provides a more updated version about your expertise and personality. Employers are trying to find evidence that the candidate qualifies for the job and if they are professional. Furthermore, research shows that job applicants, who are not using social media, are less likely to be interviewed by employers.
However, there are disagreements about whether employers should use social media to screen job applicants. Employers discover certain information that are protected by the law, e.g. age, gender, race. In addition, some recruiters consider screening candidates through social networking sites unethical and are concerned about the accuracy of the founded information.
Thus, beware of what you post on social networking websites, as it influences the decision of the recruiters. Also, do you guys think that employers should use social networking sites to screen candidates or do you belief that recruiters should not be allowed to use it?
Sources:
http://www.shrm.org/publications/hrmagazine/editorialcontent/2014/1114/pages/1114-social-media-screening.aspx
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5738-social-media-new-resume.html
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/05/more_than_half_of_employers_no_1.html
http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/infographic-how-recruiters-use-social-media-screen-applicants/
I’m quite shocked by the statistics. Why do recruiters use Facebook and Twitter more often than LinkedIn? It seems a bit unfair, because Facebook and Twitter are not your professional profiles. You use these two for maintaining friendships, expressing emotions and posting fun or interesting pictures. Yet, the infographic shows us that a lot of applicants are rejected because of inappropriate pictures and comments. They even got rejected because of content of them drinking. (I have a picture of me holding a beer. Is that bad?)
In other words, we have to censor our social life on the internet. Our profiles and interactions would become a bit dull, wouldn’t they?