Social Media and it's influence over employers

When it comes to looking for a job, be it because of necessity or because we are looking for a change, we all strive to present a great resume:

• Objective: 
• “…contribute to your company’s goals…"
• Abilities: 
• “Computer knowledge…ability to work under pressure…”
• Education: 
• “Graduated from _____with a GPA of ____” 

We work hard to present our best “face” so the company for which we are applying doesn’t think twice about giving us the job. But, what if I were to tell you that your Facebook profile, or MySpace, or any other social media network to which you belong, could be part of your evaluation process?

Do not freak out just yet, it still doesn’t apply to ALL companies out there, but there are some employers who don’t rule out giving your profile a glimpse, or two, just so they know what kind of person they are hiring. 

An article published last year on the website “The Telegraph” (http://tgr.ph/6PKPMV), mentions that employers use social media networks as tools to determine whether the applicant will end up using his sick days because he was hung-over from the night before. Also, to identify if said applicant lied about his education or qualifications. 

The article also states that one out of every ten applicants was rejected for a position because he or she bragged about how much they drank during the weekend, among OTHER things…

Also, 13 % was passed over for a job for racist comments that he or she published on their page and 9 % because of racy photos they uploaded.

According to “Career Builder’s” president, Farhan Yasin, cited in this article, 450 employers were polled and more than four out of every ten said they’d discarded an applicant’s résumé after checking their Facebook page.

Conclusion?

Even though social networks are great for keeping in contact with friends, family, etc., be very careful with what you post or upload because you NEVER know who’s looking…