It’s no secret that employers Google potential hires as part of their background check. It’s become standard procedure. But employers are also increasingly screening job candidates on popular social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. There have been many stories of people losing their jobs because of inappropriate photos on social networks that are discovered by coworkers. But checking such sites as part of the standard screening process is fast becoming more prevalent. In a survey conducted by CareerBuilder of 3,169 hiring managers and HR professionals, 22 percent of them screened potential staff via social networking profiles compared to 11 percent in 2006. What is even more interesting, is that an additional 9 percent of employers that don’t currently use social networking sites to screen candidates, plan to start doing so.

A whopping 34 percent of the managers who used the Internet to look up candidates, found content to make them drop that candidate. Areas of concern for these managers included:

• 41% - candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs
• 40% - candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
• 29% - candidate had poor communication skills
• 28% - candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee
• 27% - candidate lied about qualifications
• 22% - candidate used discriminatory remarks related to race, gender, religion, etc.
• 22% - candidate’s screen name was unprofessional
• 21% - candidate was linked to criminal behavior
• 19% - candidate shared confidential information from previous employers

But it is not all bad. Twenty-four percent of the managers surveyed said they found content online that solidified their decision to hire that candidate. Content such as having a background that supported their qualifications for the job, great communication skills, candidate’s site conveyed a professional image, candidate had great references posted about them by others, candidate showed a wide range of interests, candidate received awards and accolades,  and candidate’s profile was creative.

“Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company. As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. Sixteen percent of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers.” according to Rosemary Haefner, HR, CareerBuilder.com.

(Image source: http://www.pittjug.org/catalog/pics/Job_And_Recruitment_Portal.jpg)