More than half of employers have rejected applicants due to social media posts

Nick Elvin

Fifty-five per cent of employers who research job candidates on social media say they have found content that caused them not to hire someone, according to a new survey from job site CareerBuilder.co.uk.

Employers’ use of social media to fill vacancies continues to grow, with 48% currently using it to investigate candidates, the study found. Additionally, 12% of employers that don’t currently research applicants on social media plan to start.

And they are not limiting themselves to just social networks when it comes to researching a candidates’ web presence. 50% of employers use search engines such as Google to check out potential job candidates, with 21% saying they do so frequently or always.

According to the survey, the most common reason for rejecting a candidate was because they had posted information about their drinking or drug habits on social media. Bad-mouthing their previous company or fellow employees was also a popular reason for turning down an applicant, as was posting provocative or inappropriate photographs or information.

Other reasons include candidates lying about their qualifications, offering poor communications skills, having links to criminal behaviour, and posting discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc.

However, 34% of employers who research candidates on social networking sites say they have found content that made them more likely to hire someone – such as qualifications, interests, communication skills and personality.

Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, said: “It’s important for job seekers to remember that much of what they post to the internet – and equally importantly, what others post about them – can be found by potential employers, and that can affect their chances of getting hired down the road.

“Job seekers need to stay vigilant, and pay attention to privacy updates from all of their social networking accounts so they know what information is available for others to see. Take control of your web presence by limiting who can post to your profile and monitoring posts you’ve been tagged in.”