Social Networking And Jobs

Be aware of what you post on social networking sites; that’s the overwhelming message from the results of a recent US survey.

The survey, by CareerBuilder, was conducted among more than 2,500 HR professionals, and found that 45% of companies use social media to vet potential new employees with 35% of companies deciding not to hire based on a candidate’s social networking presence.

The usual suspects, Facebook (29%), LinkedIn (26%) and MySpace (21%), topped the list of sites monitored while 11% of those surveyed search blogs and 7% monitor Twitter for background information.

The survey statistics and overall number of businesses admitting to using social media have more than doubled on last year’s survey results. The change indicates that the significance of social networking is continuing grow as more join more sites. For example, Facebook now has more than 250 million users worldwide and Twitter has become a popular, mainstream service thanks to an explosion of celebrity usage.

So what social networking habits turn employers off prospective new hires?

The list of reasons make for pretty basic, common-sense rules on how not to behave on social networks, including: inappropriate profile content, information about drinking or drug use and bad-mouthing current/former employee and colleagues.

Recommendations from the survey are relatively straight forward and include: clean your profile before beginning your job search, keep gripes offline, be selective about your friends and comments made to you and, perhaps most obvious, do not mention your job search if you’re already employed.

Managing online presence with care is not just about being cautious, there is the potential to impress new employers too with nearly 20% of those surveyed admitting social networking content helped them to hire a prospective employee.

This figure is set to grow massively over time as businesses and executives continue to adopt social networking. The medium allows candidates to demonstrate their value to future employers by demonstrating contacts, influence, understanding and creativity in their online presence.

Businesses have even begun to include social media requirements in job descriptions. Earlier this year, media giant Ogilvy released its requirements for a social media intern which include the following:

The successful candidate will be an active blogger, Twitterer and have accounts on more than one social network.

Bonus points for:

• Blog Google rank of two or higher
• Connections to more than 100 people on any single social network
  
• More than 150 Twitter followers
  
• A view on which short URL service is best and why
  
• A YouTube channel or similar vlogging account

Similarly, an advert seeking a social media intern for Cambodia newspaper Phnom Penh Post, required candidates to have at least 150 followers on Twitter, at least 200 Facebook friends, to be administrator or creator of at least one Facebook group and have a blog with a Google page rank of two or higher.

As social media continues to grow into a key element of business, its importance for job hunters and recruiters will continue to increase. In many industries it is already the key driver and can be used to develop new partners, new customers and new business.

Much of the survey, and social media itself, is about exercising common sense. Yet there will also be some who get it wrong. For an example of how not to do social networking go to this Stumble Upon link.