Employers are increasingly searching through social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube, when reviewing candidates for jobs. It's time to clean up your act and use caution in what you post anywhere online.
A survey by CareerBuilder found that nearly one in four employers use social networking sites when checking out job candidates. Of that group, 34 percent report they've rejected candidates based on what they found online. What sort of comments turned off these employers? Here are some specifics:
- 41 percent of hiring managers said they found information online about candidates drinking or using drugs.
- 40 percent found provacative or inappropriate photos or information online.
- 29 percent said candidates demonstrated poor communication skills.
- 27 percent said candidates lied about their qualifications.
- 22 percent complained that candidates used discriminatory remarks related to race, gender or religion.
- 21 percent learned candidates were linked to criminal behavior (wow!).
Meanwhile, a similar report, titled "20 Things Job Seekers Shouldn't Say On Twitter," appeared recently on ResumeBear. It cites actual posts on Twitter. You'll get a good laugh from reading these comments but I must caution you that some of them are off-color.
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