Background checks and drug screening of potential new hires has been the standard practice for employers for decades now. But as more and more people share their lives online via social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter, employers now have new sources of information on applicants. A study by Career Builder showed that at least 1 in 5 employers are now using these social sites to screen prospects. Here is a sampling of what they find that causes them to reject an application:
- content posted about alcohol or drug use
- “inappropriate or provocative” pictures
- candidate appeared to have poor communications skills
- candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employees
- candidate lied about qualifications
- discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc.
- candidate’s screen name was unprofessional
- candidate was linked to criminal behavior
- candidate shared confidential information from previous employers
That list gives you a good idea of what not to when you are adding information to your social networks. People often forget that information shared anywhere on the internet can be found by those who know where to look, even on so-called private networks.
So be careful and be wise when you’re online.