Brooke Kelly
Managing Editor
While the trend of employers checking potential employees’ credit reports is on the decline, more employers are checking social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter before hiring new employees.
In a 2009 careerbuilder.com survey, 45 percent of employers reported screening job applicants’ social media output before hiring. Another 11 percent of hiring managers said they planned to start.
In the past, more employers checked credit reports under the impression that if a job applicant had a bad credit history, he or she might be more likely to steal or lie, but Terrence Johnson, Coordinator for the Jackson State University Career Services Center, believes tough economic times have caused some employers to stop checking credit reports.
For background checks, you sign off and give your consent to the employer, and if you know there’s something on your record, Johnson believes you need to be upfront with the employer about it.
Jeff Leclerc, a freshman physical education major from Atlanta, Ga., feels that background checks are important.
“It’s good to have a background check to know who you’re hiring because it could be a criminal,” said Leclerc.
When it comes to checking social media, however, some students disagree with the practice.
“I believe it is more of an invasion of your privacy. There should be a separation between business and personal lives,” said Justin Chandler, a junior mass communications major from Starkeville, Miss.
According to the careerbuilder.com survey, having provocative/inappropriate photos and talking about drinking or using illicit drugs are the top two reasons employers choose not to hire job seekers after a social media review.
Other reasons for being disqualified for a job because of your social media output can include talking bad about previous employers, co-workers, or clients, showing poor communication skills, and making discriminatory comments.
Some employers use a different type of profile or set up dummy accounts of a person who may have went to high school with the job applicant in an effort to view content on social media sites.
“If you wouldn’t want your mom to see it, then you shouldn’t want a future employer to see it,” said Johnson.
Information Technology (IT) jobs and jobs in the business services sectors are amongst top industries who use social network and search engine checks, however Johnson notes most companies have IT departments and “If they want to get to your information, they can.”
While there can be a thin line between inappropriate and appropriate for college students, taking extra precaution can better the chances of getting desired jobs.
If social media sites contain inappropriate content, Johnson suggests you delete your profile or untag yourself from certain photos.
“You have to be mindful of if your in the club and have a drink in your hand before taking a picture,” said Johnson. “An employer may see these pictures.”
Social media can also help make you a better job candidate. Having profiles that advertise professional qualifications, awards, creativity, and good communication skills were reasons some employers reported to careerbuilders.com for hiring certain employees.
Johnson uses and recommends students join the professional social media site LinkedIn. On this site people can make a professional profile including their certifications, education, groups, recommendations, etc.
Some people use LinkedIn as a networking site, even connecting with college classmates.
Before going on a job search, Careerbuilder.com suggests a person remove any photos, content, and links that could work against them; create professional groups on Facebook or BrightFuse.com; keep professional and personal gripes offline; and monitor comments made by others by blocking comments or making your profile private.
Derrick Walton contributed to this story.
