BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU POST, IT MIGHT COST YOU YOUR DREAM JOB!

                           

A 2014 report by Jobvite reveals that 93% of human resources managers are likely to review the social media profile of a candidate as part of the recruitment criteria. Whether to get the job or not can be determined by a candidate’s social media use. Social media is increasingly becoming influential in almost every life aspect including a person's work life. As such, hiring managers are using it to get unique insights into a candidate’s private life.

The line between a person's professional and private lives is increasingly becoming blurred in the wake of social media. As a result, several important attributes of a person, which can be of great help to hiring managers, can be portrayed in social media. While some of the observations made can cost a candidate a potential job opportunity, others can be essential in enabling employers to reconsider their views following a candidate’s underperformance in an interview. The Jobvite report also establishes that 55% of hiring managers are likely to review an earlier decision on a given candidate based on what they find out on his or her social media profile.

                 

Certain personal attributes that should be considered in the hiring process can be more manifested on social media platforms than on any other life aspects. For instance, the ability of an individual to embrace diversity can be established by tracking the person’s activity on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, among others. The posts, comments, and membership in social groups can be accurate indicators of the person’s ability to socialize with different people in real life. Almost every organization values employees who show extraordinary abilities to bond with each other, socialize with ease, and be active in group activities. As such, social media platforms can provide vital information to hiring managers about a candidate's unique abilities.

Social media can also provide useful information about a candidate’s undesirable qualities that might go undetected throughout the hiring process. For instance, mentions of illegal drug use in social media might indicate that the person abuses the said drugs in reality. The Jobvite report shows that about 83% of hiring managers claim that the mention of illegal drugs in a candidate's social media is a strong turn-off that can result in failure in a job interview. Other valuable information that recruiters might get from social media and that can result in disqualification includes explicit sexual posts, the mention of guns, and the abuse of alcohol.

                       

In the current age, the social media’s function extends from pure socialization to depicting a person's character. The information obtained from platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram, Pinterest, etc is becoming increasing important to recruiters. In a bid to establish with certainty that the candidate who performs well in an interview is the best-suited person for the position, hiring managers tend to observe the candidate's social media activity. The nature of the posts, comments, and groups that a person joins on social media provides vital information about the person's desirable or undesirable qualities and can determine whether or not one gets a given job.