What employers don't want to see on Facebook

Excerpted from the Executive Report: The HR Guide to Recruiting with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Even though most job seekers are warned to clean up their social networking profiles so they'll make an attractive impression, many don't - or just don't seem to care.

So what do hiring managers find that reflects badly on a candidate?

A CareerBuilder study found that 35% of managers reported finding content that turned them off. The top examples cited:

• Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information - 53%
  
• Candidate posted content about them drinking or using drugs - 44%
  
• Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients - 35%
  
• Candidate showed poor communication skills - 29%
  
• Candidate made discriminatory comments - 26%
  
• Candidate lied about qualifications - 24%
• Candidate shared confidential information from previous employer - 20%
  

Just using a "smiley face" or emoticon prompted some managers (14% at least) to disqualify a candidate. Another 16% dismissed a candidate for using text language such as GR8 (great) in an e-mail or job application.  

DIGGING DEEPER
Social media has made a lot of information available about job candidates. But what can an potential employer do with it? Find out in the Executive Report: The HR Guide to Recruiting with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Comments

[Jessica Allen]

Check it out peeps. We are being spied on by employers... LOL!

[blarx]

I believe that employers should recognize that places like Facebook are personal and respect the privacy of their staff by staying away from those pages. If an employee (or prospective employee) chooses to friend a boss or follow a particular organization on these sites, they obviously need to take into account that their employer could see such content. But absent that relationship, employers have no business looking at private information in the hiring process.

[J. Buller]

When you put your personal information out on the internet, you should not have any expectation of privacy. You are responsible for the things that you post on social network sights. So don't whine about not getting a job because an employer checked out the information that you posted.

[Steve Kaye]

Every employer wants to avoid hiring a problem. And so, for decades they have used the services of background check companies that searched for major flaws, such as a criminal record.

Now, with the web, such searches are both easy and free.

It is thus wise to avoid: 1) doing anything that might ruin your chances of being hired, and 2) posting private information that makes you appear unsuitable. This is basic common sense.

[larry m]

A simple solution would be not to have any of them "out there". If you don't have an account, you can't possibly have a problem.

[Janet L.]

My name is about the only thing on my Facebook account which is not friends-only!

[Brian]

If you think an employer has no business looking you up on facebook before they hire you, you are a clown! People whom are responsible for hiring are RESPONSIBLE for who they hire. They do not want to hire someone who is showing that they are irresponsible or unaccountable. Even more important, private companies can definitely do whatever they want, so hiring based on what they find on facebook is totally appropriate. Get a clue!

[Virginia H.]

I so agree with so many of you. Yes, our Facebook and other social networking sites are personal sites, but we have to understand that it is a representation of who we are and what we believe; therefore, be responsible with your postings. I simply can't believe some of the things some people post...i.e. teacher talking about other colleagues, students, and biases they have.

[mikeramsey]

I don't post anything to Facebook that I wouldn't want my mother to see. In fact, my mother is my facebook friend and comments on my postings frequently. :)

Oops, I used a smiley face. I guess I won't get hired.

Emoticons, really? That's what you're looking for?

Uh, yeah. I don't think I want to work for you, anyway.

[Debt T]

I would like to know if any legal or HR avenues been taken against employees that post demeaning comments about their co-workers.

Can this be made into a situation of harassment?

I have not come across any line in the sand that regulates how employers handle current employees that use these avenues to slam the business unit, co-workers and supervisors.

[Jeff Berkeley]

If an employer thinks your overall worth to their company is directly related to what you post on a site such as Facebook, I would say that they are shallow and short-sighted. That being said, there are boundaries of decorum that should be respected in such a public disclosure of "personality." The "grandmother" rule is a decent way to gauge the appropriateness of any particular post...as in, "Would I embarrass my grandmother by what I posted?"

[Kathleen Watts]

I don't play where I work and I don't work where I play.... I use LinkedIn for business and I use Facebook for play. I do not mix the two and I will not add someone from work to my Facebook... I believe everyone should establish personal rules if you are going to play in the Social Networking arena. In many cases the use of an Alias should be embraced if you 'Blog' or have very strong opinions about political issues. You never know who's watching.

[Emily]

Yes, Facebook is a personal website and you would think that not hiring any of the people you work with would save you some trouble. If you have something on your Facebook that you don't want them to see, then it sounds like you already have a problem.