Can a job not hire you because of social media? Absolutely. A study found that 67% of employers screen job candidates through social networks. And what they find could give you a leg up, but it could also disqualify you from your dream job. The same study found
54% of companies have actually disqualified job candidates after viewing an applicant's social media
.
reveals
more than 1 in 5 or 22% of people in a hiring position have denied someone a job due to their online content
. This includes everything from images and texts to videos and audio recordings.
Social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram have given many organizations a new hiring tool. According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey,
70% of employers check out applicants' profiles as part of their screening process
, and 54% have rejected applicants because of what they found.
Dangers of Social Media Posts
Social media posts have allowed them to filter candidates based on the content of their online profiles. Companies take an applicant's conduct on social media seriously;
showing behavior that is uncalled for can make or break their hiring potential
.
90% of Employers Consider an Applicant's Social Media Activity During Hiring Process
. If you want to hire top talents for your small business, you should look beyond the resumes of the potential candidates. According to a new survey, 90% of employers find social media important when they evaluate candidates.
A social media background check is similar to other types of background checks, like criminal checks. It
looks at a person's past behavior
since a person's past can be indicative of a person's future behavior.
Do employers look you up on Facebook?
Facebook Profiling
Employers can and do check out potential employees' Facebook profiles if they can get access to them
. Some 56 percent of employers said they were likely to look at the social media presence of potential employees before hiring them, according to a study from British business psychology firm OPP.
It involves researching a prospect's social media profiles and their activity, including what they post, like and comment on. Some of the platforms they are likely to check are LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and WhatsApp. Generally, employers are looking for
any red flags
.
People are not only connecting with relevant professional communities on these sites, but top companies are also hiring potential clients from social media. As per the CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers check social media to make
background checks and other aspects
.
Some
44%
of employers surveyed said that they had hired a candidate through social media. That's an impressive number, but it pales beside the fact that almost all employers (93% to be exact) say that they will search for your social media profiles during the interview process.
Since California is an at-will employment state — and California Labor Code 2922 states that at-will employees “may be terminated at the will of either party on notice to the other” —
employers can fire employees for anything, including their social media posts.
A variety of laws may be implicated. Most prominently, if an employee's social media activity could be perceived as protected concerted activity, the employer could be violating the National Labor Relations Act if it disciplines the employee for the conduct — regardless of whether the employer is unionized,” she said.
According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey,
70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process
, and about 43 percent of employers use social media to check on current employees.
Will employers look at my Instagram?
The answer is
yes IF your social media accounts are inappropriate or contain anything you would not want a potential employer seeing
. They will most likely google you to review your background and get to know you better and that includes the usual suspects—your Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles.
- Complaints About Your Current Job or Employer. …
- Strong Opinions and Rants. …
- Current Work-Related Plans or Projects. …
- Excessive Status Updates. …
- Overly Personal Photos. …
- Home Address and Phone Numbers. …
- Bad Grammar and Poor Etiquette.
How far back can a Social Media Background Check Go? Social Media Screening generally goes by the same guidelines as the FCRA, but one of the main differences is the length of time you can go back and search profiles. In Social Media Screening – you can only go back
7 years
.
Should I be worried about background check?
Should I be worried about a background check? A background check is a prerequisite of the hiring process and cannot be avoided.
As long as you are honest on your resume and understand your rights, you will not have anything to worry about
. Be sure to review the background check laws in your state before applying.
Per the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers cannot use race, national origin, color, sex, religion, disability, genetic information, or age to make a hiring determination. In addition,
choosing not to offer someone a job because of their social media content requires some consideration.
- Language. …
- Education and work experience. …
- Keywords. …
- Groups. …
- Talk about your industry. …
- Follow relevant accounts. …
- Build your brand.
Employers Risk Lawsuits If They Don't Conduct a Legal Social Media Background Check
. This is the single most important reason employers shouldn't run social media screens on their own. When done improperly, a social media background check can put your organization at risk for lawsuits.
What percent of employers will not invite you to interview if they Cannot find you online?
CareerBuilder surveyed more than 2,300 managers, and found that 70 percent of employers said they use social media to screen candidates, and
57 percent
of employers said they are less likely to interview a candidate they can't find online.
Is not having a LinkedIn a red flag?
If your LinkedIn profile is simply a digital resume, it's not going to be impressive to a potential employer and can look like you are two-dimensional and have less to offer than other candidates. And
if you have no LinkedIn or other profiles, it leaves a void that can be a red flag that you have nothing to offer
.
In fact, 28 percent of employers report that they've fired people for using the Internet for non-work-related activity (such as shopping online or checking out Facebook, for example) during the workday and
18 percent
have dismissed employees because of something they posted on social media, according to CareerBuilder.
What can get you fired from a job?
- Damaging Company Property. …
- Drug or Alcohol Possession at Work. …
- Falsifying Company Records. …
- Misconduct. …
- Poor Performance. …
- Using Company Property for Personal Business. …
- Taking Too Much Time Off. …
- Violating Company Policy.
How common is it to get fired?
32% of Caucasians say they've been fired
. 50% of African-Americans say they have indeed been fired at least once, the highest of the different ethnic groups. The number of people who admit to being fired at least once increases with age.
Private companies and employers can discipline or fire an employee for what they post on social media
. There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule. In general, employers cannot fire you for posting: Truthful statements about working conditions, like harassment or unsafe working conditions.
According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey,
70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process
, and about 43 percent of employers use social media to check on current employees.
Do job interviewers look at your search history?
The only time an employer can check your browsing history is when you have used a company computer
. Then, the computer belongs to the company, and the company can monitor anything that comes over its network including files, emails, keystrokes, instant messaging and yes, your browsing history.
