Thirty-Seven Percent of Companies Use Social Networks to Research Potential Job Candidates, According to New CareerBuilder Survey

Hiring managers share why they screen with social media, and explain what they're looking for in candidates' profiles

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Apr 18, 2012, 06:00 ET

CHICAGO, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- With the pervasive, worldwide adoption of social media, job seekers know that the all-important first impression is potentially made well before the first interview. But just how many hiring managers browse social media profiles, and what type of information are they hunting?

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Nearly two in five companies (37 percent) use social networking sites to research job candidates, according to a new survey from CareerBuilder. Of the employers who do not research candidates on social media, 15 percent said their company prohibits the practice. Eleven percent report they do not currently use social media to screen, but plan to start.

In a 2009 study of employers who conduct online background checks, 45 percent said they used social media to screen job candidates.

The nationwide survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from February 9 to March 2, 2012, included more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

What are hiring managers looking for on social media?
Hiring managers are using social media to evaluate candidates' character and personality outside the confines of the traditional interview process. When asked why they use social networks to conduct background research, hiring managers stated the following:

To see if the candidate presents himself/herself professionally – 65 percent
To see if the candidate is a good fit for the company culture – 51 percent
To learn more about the candidate's qualifications – 45 percent
To see if the candidate is well-rounded – 35 percent
To look for reasons not to hire the candidate – 12 percent

"Because social media is a dominant form of communication today, you can certainly learn a lot about a person by viewing their public, online personas," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "However, hiring managers and human resources departments have to make a careful, determined decision as to whether information found online is relevant to the candidates' qualifications for the job."

Is social media helping or hurting job candidates?
A third (34 percent) of hiring managers who currently research candidates via social media said they have found information that has caused them not to hire a candidate. That content ranges from evidence of inappropriate behavior to information that contradicted their listed qualifications:

Candidate posted provocative/inappropriate photos/info – 49 percent
There was info about candidate drinking or using drugs – 45 percent
Candidate had poor communication skills – 35 percent
Candidate bad mouthed previous employer – 33 percent
Candidate made discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc. – 28 percent
Candidate lied about qualifications – 22 percent

While screening for red flags is one a reason for social media research, employers are also looking for information that could potentially give a job seeker an advantage. Three in ten hiring managers (29 percent) said they have found something that has caused them to hire a candidate, citing content that showed them the following:

Good feel for candidate's personality – 58 percent
Conveyed a professional image – 55 percent
Background information supported professional qualifications – 54 percent
Well-rounded, showed a wide range of interests – 51 percent
Great communication skills – 49 percent
Candidate was creative – 44 percent
Other people posted great references about the candidate – 34 percent

Haefner says the research reiterates the importance of controlling your online persona.

"Job seekers should be mindful of what potential employers can learn about them online," she said. "If you choose to leave social media content public, tailor the message to your advantage. Filter out anything that can tarnish your professional reputation and post communications, links and photos that portray you in the best possible light."

Employers are primarily using Facebook (65 percent) and LinkedIn (63 percent) to research candidates; 16 percent use Twitter.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,303 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between February 9 and March 2, 2012 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,303, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 2.04 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder®
CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 45 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to recruitment support. More than 10,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder's proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

Media Contact:
CareerBuilder
Ryan Hunt
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SOURCE CareerBuilder