At a time when more and more people have a profile on one of the social networks, the Internet for many employers is becoming an important source of information about current or prospective employees. As the most visited and most common social network in the world, Facebook is the first to be hit by employers. If your privacy settings are not set to “hide” a profile of the public, the employer can easily see personal information, photos, comments or areas of interest of the person. In many cases, what they see affects the decision on the (un) employment. So, ask yourself: “Should I post this?”.
What you post on Internet?
A large number of data that is published on the internet every day remains there. It is not surprising that experts are increasingly reminiscent of caution when choosing words and pictures that are posted on social networks. The virtual world can be a useful tool for self-promotion, but it can create a negative image of the person and thus make it difficult for him or her to find a job. Study sites for job search assistance CareerBuilder found that the decision of one’s employment negatively affect inappropriate or provocative photographs, statements about the use of alcohol or drug abuse, discriminatory statements about other people based on race, sex or religion, poor communication skills, as well as all information showing that the person lied in his application for the job.
The study included more than 2,000 employers and found that 39 percent of them use social networks to find out information about people who apply for the competition for the job. The same study indicated the desirable characteristics of potential candidates for the job: specified professional qualifications and recommendations, a wide range of interests and good communication skills.
Erasing the boundaries between work and private life
Checking employees via the Internet is growing in parallel with the popularization of social networks. Employers in the United States went one step further and start a trend that many consider unethical. In fact, more and more employers at a job interview with a resume requires a user name and password for Facebook profile. Although Facebook warned that such actions threaten the privacy and security of users and their Facebook friends, the first unpleasant experiences of employees media reported in early 2012. Then, because of this invasion of privacy some decided to withdraw application for a job. Today, when there is less jobs, and the criteria are more stringent, a lot of people in exchange for a salary fit to live “under scrutiny”.
Although the information people publish on Internet is not necessarily associated with their operating capabilities and ambitions, they obviously become very important in employment.
What posts affect a negative impact on the decision of one’s employment:
- lewd or provocative images
- statements about the use of alcohol or drug use
- discriminatory statements about other people based on race, sex or religion
- poor communication skills
- any information showing that the person lied in his application for the job.
