SOCIAL MEDIA RECRUITMENT
Global - The majority of HR professionals polled globally will reject job candidates if information found on them through an online search is negative.
A survey by Microsoft shows that the 70% of HR professionals in the US polled globally have rejected job applicants based on the information found on them through an online search. The impact of indiscreet information job applicants post online seems to be less significant outside the US though. In the UK, only 41% of recruiters and HR professionals said they would reject candidates if they discover negative online information. Respondents in Germany and France who would do likewise were 16% and 14% respectively.
"We're really quite surprised by the findings," said Peter Cullen, chief privacy strategist at Microsoft, told InformationWeek. While Cullen said it shouldn't be a surprise that HR practitioners conduct online searches about job applicants, jobseekers should still rethink their online privacy and reputation.
In some companies, online research has even been formalised in their corporate policies. Three quarters of US recruiters and HR personnel said their companies have formal policies requiring them to research job applicants online. In the UK, only 48% of respondents had the similar policies while 21% reported the same in Germany and France.
However, jobseekers who have positive online information can have a positive effect, to the point of being influential, on recruiters and HR managers. Cullen said 86% of HR professionals believe that online reputation has had a positive impact on an applicant.
Yet, less than half of consumers polled say they consider their reputations when they post information online. Similarly, less than 15% of consumers think information posted online will affect their ability to get a job. But the view on online privacy is changing, said Cullen. "The trend I've observed is people are actually thinking more proactively about who they're friends with and the information they share."
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