According to CareerBuilder, 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring them. There are good reasons why hiring managers decide NOT to hire a candidate based on their social media content. There are also good reasons why hiring managers decide to HIRE candidates partly because of what’s on their social media’s profile. You should understand what these reasons are and what to do to about it.
Hiring managers want to basically know these three things before they hire a candidate:
- Can they do the job? Most applicants meet the job specs for becoming candidates.
- Will they fit in well within the team already in place? No one wants a disrupter.
- Can they assume more responsibilities and grow with the organization? Assess the potential of candidates over the next 5 or more years and what is possible.
You may meet or exceed all of these factors but still not get the job. Why? Because some of the intangibles, like good judgement, respect, team effort or trustworthiness gets questioned when your social media profile gets scrutinized. You can look like the perfect candidate on your resume and during an interview, but social media research may tell the hiring managers a different story when they view it.
What may the hiring manager see on your social media that knocks you out?
- Photos, videos or information that questions your good judgement (39%)
- Excessive drinking, drugs or antisocial behavior (38%)
- Discriminatory comments about others (32%)
- Negative comments about a past company, boss or employees (30%)
- Lies about qualifications or inconsistencies on your resume versus social media (27%)
A “selfie” that you thought was funny may not be for an image sensitive company. Look at your content and what others say about you before the hiring manager does.
On the other hand, 44% of hiring managers made offers of employment to candidates who, through social media, presented a sterling profile, like:
- The information supported their professional qualifications and experience (39%)
- Their communications skills were well done (37%) … articulate and well written
- A professional image (36%) … they looked like a positive company representative
- The candidate showed creativity (35%)
Hiring organizations are wary when a candidate has no on-line presence. They’re concerned that you may have something to hide.
What should you do?
- Google yourself to see what’s out there being said or shown about you
- Clean up your information as some of it can be ten or more years old
- Correct any information that is not accurate
- Review all information on your profile through the eyes of a hiring manager
- Install new information with articles, photos or videos that show you in a positive light
Your on-line presence is part of the hiring process that you control. If you don’t actively slant it in your favor, you may not ever know why you didn’t get the job of your dreams.
For a FREE critique of your resume, send it to: wkaufmann44@gmail.com