Can Facebook hurt your job prospects?
Tags: economy, Facebook, job search, laid off, layoffs
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You have a bullet-proof resume, stellar references, and you just aced the interview with the HR manager for the job you really, really want to get. But you don’t get it.
Who knew that sharing would come back to bite you and leave a huge black mark on your job application? After all, we all grew up being reminded over and over that sharing is a good thing.
Well, it turns out some companies are now using social networking sites to check out job candidates. And social media has made it easier than ever for big brother to keep tabs on us.
According to a study conducted by Careerbuilder.com, 22% of 31,000 employers surveyed said they search social networks to screen candidates. And one-third of those said they found information on sites like Facebook and MySpace that eliminated candidates from consideration.
Have a look at the top areas of concern those employers found on social networking sites:
• Information about alcohol or drug use (41% of managers said this was a top concern)
• Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate’s page (40%)
• Poor communication skills (29%)
• Bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees (28%)
• Inaccurate qualifications (27%)
• Unprofessional screen names (22%)
• Notes showing links to criminal behavior (21%)
• Confidential information about past employers (19%)
Maybe posting those pics of your latest inebriated romp showing you in a, well, compromised state, wasn’t such a good idea?
Universities and colleges have become aware about the new practice and are now counseling students to be more cautious. Northwestern University in Chicago started over a year ago after one career services staffer was baffled why an outstanding student with a GPA above 3.7 couldn’t get an internship interview. When questioned, the employer simply said, “Have a look at her Facebook.”
The CareerBuilder.com study found that employers in the media, professional services and finance industries were most likely to go online to check out candidates’ profiles with more than 35% admitting to the practice. Among the least likely were charity and retail industries, with just 8% and 7% of companies respectively going on sites like Facebook to check out applicants.
No question, it’s an unsettling feeling to know you might be the subject of spying. I don’t even like the idea of people I know spying on me let alone virtual strangers.
Yet it’s hard to be outraged. Privacy and the net are hardly compatible. It might feel like spying, but at the same time, we’ve kind of flung open the doors to our homes and told the paparazzi to leave their telephoto lenses behind.
And how many people have you invited into your virtual home that you don’t know terribly well? I know people with 200 to 300 friends on their Facebook, and chances are, there are more than a few unknowns about some of those so-called friends.
So as companies start to use social networking sites to screen candidates, could we see a reverse trend in the amount that we choose to share? Could the notion of boundaries become a bit more, uh, fashionable? (At the very least, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re taking full advantage of privacy settings to ensure a “friends only” policy. But don’t be mistaken that’s it’s full protection. Privacy and the web are like birth control – nothing is 100 percent.)
Maybe with New Year’s around the corner, those pounding the pavement may be adding another resolution to the list: cleaning up their Facebook or MySpace pages.
Tags: economy, Facebook, job search, laid off, layoffs
Laidoffguy said:
Apr 09, 09 at 6:23 pmI’ve spent a good bit of time on your site reviewing your layoff and experiences. This is one of the best things that people should know, but don’t. I don’t even bring up the subject, and have heard of two people recently who were not hired due to something they posted on Facebook and YouTube.
It’s like I’ve told my kids - watch what you do today, because it very well may come back and haunt you.
Very good post!
Steven said:
May 31, 09 at 8:06 pmInstead of spending that new found free time on facebook I would recommend linkedin.com. Then if a potential employer finds your profile it’s a positive instead of a potential negative and you might even find new employment leads using linkedin
Script said:
Jun 05, 09 at 5:11 amI am a webmaster. So its not hurt
Because I am working in the internet.
siirtliler said:
Jun 05, 09 at 8:49 amyes I do use social networking sites Facebook, I’m very successful support them always to explain my job to help me thank you
devlet said:
Jun 05, 09 at 4:21 pmI prefer privacy on internet. facebook or somewhere like that must not hurt our jobs and future.
devlet
Health Service said:
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izle said:
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dizi izle said:
Jun 18, 09 at 1:46 amthat the roof has a road painted on it, should kind of give it away that this is real.
Linkvana said:
Jul 28, 09 at 1:39 pmInteresting I will give it some thought, thanks!
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Gizli Turk said:
Aug 23, 09 at 6:47 amthanks really great post.. and good point.
oyun hileleri said:
Sep 30, 09 at 1:49 pmthanks for post. very good!
izmir evden eve said:
Oct 12, 09 at 9:23 amthanks for topic! very much dostum
Ezel said:
Oct 16, 09 at 1:08 amthanks great post
izmir evden eve said:
Oct 17, 09 at 1:19 pmusefull topic, tahnsk you..
BK GIRL said:
Nov 10, 09 at 9:16 ami think that if your not careful and you put something on there that has anything to do with something illeagal or bad then be careful and i wonted ecspected to get a job any were any time soon.
Kenrick Chatman said:
Jan 20, 10 at 7:10 pmAnything perceived to be unprofessional that is on the Internet (Facebook, Twitter, and so on) can hurt your employment chances. Likewise, you should perform an Internet audit and try to hide or remove anything that can hurt your chances and set up Google alerts using your name. Maybe you can make your personal social networks private or create professional social networks and so on.
Do employers really search for facebook pages of potential hires? - Work and Employment - Jobs, employers, employees, hiring, resumes, occupations, government, laws, unions, contracts, workers, part-time - City-Data Forum said:
Feb 10, 10 at 7:47 pm[...] How Facebook Can Get You Fired | NowPublic News Coverage FACEBOOK FIRED: 8% of US Companies Have Sacked Social Media Miscreants Can Facebook hurt your job prospects? | Fired for Now: Getting fired, laid off, and hired again [...]
Teknoloji said:
Feb 11, 10 at 4:41 amyou should perform an Internet audit and try to hide or remove anything that can hurt your chances and set up Google alerts using your name
sanal şirket said:
May 25, 10 at 2:04 ami think that if your not careful and you put something on there that has anything to do with something illeagal or bad then be careful and i wonted ecspected to get a job any were any time soon.Internet audit and try to hide or remove anything that can hurt your chances and set up Google alerts using your name
¿Es la privacidad en redes sociales un nuevo tema de discusión en el trabajo? « Horacio Garay said:
Jun 16, 10 at 3:17 pm[...] más allá de ser incipiente por el lado de la cobertura de los medios masivos, es válido al ser una realidad no menor que si bien no busca respuestas inmediatas, instala un debate válido que denota incluso un [...]
¿Es la privacidad en redes sociales un nuevo tema de discusión en el trabajo? | Nativo Digital said:
Jun 18, 10 at 6:55 am[...] más allá de ser incipiente por el lado de la cobertura de los medios masivos, es válido al ser una realidad no menor, que si bien no busca respuestas inmediatas, instala un debate que denota incluso un desafío [...]
cosplay said:
Jun 24, 10 at 1:04 amcvbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
cosplay said:
Jun 24, 10 at 1:32 amHey Jon, I think Careerbuilder has provided an RSS feed for quite a while - at least a year or so. There’s actually a “subscribe” link in the middle of their homepage…
Gabriel Ellis said:
Jun 28, 10 at 8:20 pmi usually stick to natural birth control methods because i am a christian, natural birth control has no side effects too..*:
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IT技术 said:
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I’m falling in love! You are right on!