Maximising Your Online Profile for Job Hunting

Most employers now use social networking sites to screen candidates with almost half claming that what they had viewed on such sites had caused them to think twice about hiring a candidate, according to a survey from CareerBuilder.co.uk.

The survey of more than 450 employers found that 53% used social networking sites to research job candidates, while 12% plan to do so.

Around 43% of employers said what they had seen on social networking sites had caused them not to hire the candidate.


The top reasons were:

- Candidate lied about qualifications – (38%)
- Candidate displayed poor communication skills – (31%)
- Candidate used discriminatory comments – (13%)
- Candidate posted content about their use of drink or drugs – (10%)
- Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, colleagues or clients – (9%)
- Candidate shared confidential information from workplace – (8%)

On a positive note, half of employers said they had found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire the candidate.

The top reasons were:

- Profile substantiated candidate’s professional qualifications – (61%)
- Candidate displayed good communication skills – (41%)
- Profile gave a good feel for the candidate’s personality and fit – (28%)
- Candidate gave off a professional image – (22%)
- Candidate had received awards and accolades – (15%)
- Contacts had posted good references about the candidate – (15%)

We have also developed two resources that you can download to help support your online profile: