Social media sites and applying for jobs — Beware

To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com

CareerBuilder’s Debra Auerbach gets into social media in Sunday’s (May 6, 2012) Courier-Post. She says, “Social media have changed the way we connect, learn and interact with one another.”

A new CareerBuilder study finds that 37 percent of companies surveyed use social networking sites to reserach job prospects. When asked which sites they visit most frequently to research employees, companies gave these sites:

  • Facebook = 65 percent
  • Linkedin = 63 percent
  • Twitter = 16 percent

Twelve percent of hiring managers – now called “talent acquisition strategist” say they are using social media to uncover reasons not to hire a candidate. Most say they’re “trying to dig deeper than the traditional interview to find out:

  • Whether the candidate presents him/herself profesionally = 65 percent
  • Whether the candidate is a good fit for the company culture = 51 percent
  • More about the candidate’s qualifications = 45 percent
  • Whether the candidate is well rounded = 35 percent

To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com