Employers use social network sites as references
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February 17, 2017
Always bring a copy of your resume to a job interview
February 17, 2017
Increasingly employers admit to using social networking sites and search engines as hiring tools for reference checks in the employment process. Social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and various search engines like Yahoo and Google. All of these have become very popular employment tools for employers to search and screen job applicants
“According to a CareerBuilder.com survey of more than 1,150 hiring managers, one-quarter of them reported using search engines to screen job candidates, while one in 10 said they’ve used social-networking sites. The survey also found that more than half of managers have chosen not to hire an applicant after viewing their online profiles.”
The Business Reason
The main reason that businesses conduct reference checks in the employment process is to avoid the cost and liabilities of a bad hire. A bad employment decision can cost a company dearly in morale, productivity and so on. An employee who engages in illegal, immoral or scandalous activities even when not on the job, can cost a company millions. So if cost avoidance is the motivator, should these companies also consider the cost from negative public perception especially from the Gen X and Y’s (who worship Facebook like an unofficial official religion)? Since it is this group, those currently younger than 30 who make up the majority of social network users. It would be interesting to survey public perception on employers using search engines and network sites to screen job applicants. It would be especially interesting to then split the results by age group.
So my word of advice is to always be responsible and act professionally when using such social network sites. Be careful what you post and who has access to your personal information or pictures because nowadays people have a lot of access on the web and assumptions are quickly made, especially by an employer.
Information provided by HR Difference.
Our HR team specializes in providing small and medium sized companies with cost-efficient and customized human resources consulting solutions and learning management systems to meet your need and budget. We also provide custom resume writing and telephone job interview coaching for job seekers.
