A national survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder found that more than 57 percent of employers are less likely to interview a candidate they can’t find online. The majority of companies will dig through social profiles, but find it even more suspect if they see nothing at all.
» MUST-READ COVERAGE: Employers less likely to hire applicants with no social media presence
Here are five things you need to know:
1. WHAT CYBER-VETTING? Cyber-vetting, the practice of researching potential candidates online, is becoming one of the primary ways companies find the right match for an open position. The survey included a representative sample of more than 2,300 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes in the private sector.
2. SHOULD YOU DELETE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA? About a quarter of employers expect candidates to have an online presence, and having a strong brand online can actually lead to new opportunities.
Inappropriate posts on social media “will prevent you from getting a job,” according to one Dayton business owner. Find out what employers are looking for and what you can do about it- on @whiotv at 5pm. #socialmedia #Twitter #Facebook #Instagram #snapchat #career #job #work https://t.co/35p86EC1r8
— Rachel Murray (@RMurrayWHIO) May 15, 2018
3. CHECKING YOUR PROFILE More than 70 percent of employers will use social media to screen candidates before hiring, a significant increase from the 11 percent of companies who practiced cyber-vetting in 2006. It's become so important to employers that 30 percent of human resource departments have an employee dedicated to check social media profiles.
» MUST-READ COVERAGE: 11 social media posts that can hurt your career
4. LOSING OPPORTUNITIES Approximately 54 percent of employers acknowledged finding content on social media that caused them not to hire a candidate for an open role.
5. WHY DO COMPANIES WANT TO SEE YOUR FACEBOOK? Melissa Spirek, full professor of media studies at Wright State University, said companies use digital information to determine the ability of the candidate to fit the culture — and they also use personal data posted online to learn information that would be illegal to ask in an interview. Such information can include a candidate's martial status, age, even sexual orientation.Spirek's advice to job applicants: "They should ask themselves, 'What is the potential cost of posting this message?'"
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