Hiring Managers Reveal Social Media Finds on Candidates

April 18, 2012 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Slightly more than a third of companies (37%) use social media networks to research job candidates.  

Of the employers who do not research candidates using social media, 15% said their company prohibits the practice, a CareerBuilder survey found. Eleven percent report they do not currently use social media to screen, but plan to start doing so.

What Hiring Managers Are Searching 

Hiring managers are using social media to evaluate candidates’ character and personality outside the confines of the traditional interview process. When asked why they use social networks to conduct background research, hiring managers said:

•  To see if the candidate presents himself/herself professionally (65%);

•  To see if the candidate is a good fit for the company culture (51%);

•  To learn more about the candidate’s qualifications (45%);

•  To see if the candidate is well-rounded (35%); and

•  To look for reasons not to hire the candidate (12%).