Nearly Half of US Employers Use SocNets to Investigate Candidates

Marketing Charts: Nearly Half of US Employers Use SocNets to Investigate Candidates

Nearly half (45%) of US employers say that they now use social networking sites to dig up information about job candidates, a significant jump from 22% last year, according to a survey commissioned by CareerBuilder, which also found that another 11% of employers have plans in the works to start using social networking sites for screening. …

… The study, which was conducted by Harris Interactive, confirmed that as social networking grows increasingly pervasive, more employers are using these sites to screen potential employees.

The top examples for rejecting a candidate based on social network information:

• 53% of survey respondents rejected candidates because they posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information.
• 44% passed on a candidate because they saw content related to the person drinking or using drugs.
• 35% rejected candidates because they bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients.
• 29% disqualified a candidate because the person showed poor communication skills.
• 26% rejected a candidate because that candidate made discrimatory comments on a social networking site.
• 24% rejected a candidate because that person lied about his/her qualifications.
• 20% did not hire a candidate because social media revealed that person had shared confidential information from a previous employer.

(As Captain Typo, I especially liked the misspelled "discrimatory" in the line following rejection for poor communication skills.)

The top examples of hiring a candidate based on social networking information:

• 50% say a candidate’s profile provided a good feel for the candidate’s personality and fit.
• 39% say a profile supported candidate’s professional qualifications.
• 38% say it showed a candidate is creative.
• 35% say  a candidate showed solid communication skills.
• 33% say it showed a candidate was well-rounded.
• 19% were impressed that others posted good references about a candidate.
• 15% say it showed that a candidate received awards and accolades.