How much can your social-media profile help or hurt you as a job hunter? A new poll of 1,855 recruiters examines six common themes that might be showing up in your social stream. Of them, only one -- civic and volunteer work -- can brighten your candidacy. Five others are more likely to hurt your chances, especially if you're sharing details about your sex life.
The survey was conducted in August by JobVite, a San Mateo, Calif., recruiting software company. Overall, 93% of recruiters said they look at candidates' social media profiles, with 55% of recruiters adding that online postings have changed their view of at least one candidate. LinkedIn tends to be most useful for establishing candidates' credentials and experience; Facebook is more helpful in determining a candidate's cultural fit.
Coming up with eye-catching content -- as we've heard many times before -- isn't always a good thing. In fact, when recruiters see something striking in a candidate's Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr or Instagram presences, those outbursts are likely to dim that person's odds of being hired in 61% of the cases.
Here are some notable ways that over-sharing can hurt your prospects:
- Alcohol references were viewed negatively by 44% of recruiters.
- Gun references elicited thumbs' down from 51%.
- Profanity was a turn-off to 63% of recruiters -- but, oddly, 5% said that they viewed coarse language as a positive. JobVite's data didn't provide any clues about which industries are most likely to welcome candidates who curse, but truck-driving and bond-trading are logical guesses.
- Poor spelling and grammar evoked disdain from 66% of recruiters; 24% were willing to look the other way.
- Sexual posts were viewed negatively by 70% of recruiters; only 1% viewed them positively. The only posts faring even worse were those referencing illegal drug use (83% negative; 2% positive.)
Amid all these "don't"s, there's good reason for volunteering and charitable work to stand out in a positive way, says Lars Leafblad, a cofounder of Ballinger Leafblad, a Minneapolis recruiting agency specializing in nonprofit leadership positions. As he points out, volunteering "demonstrates initiative, a learning mindset, empathy and curiosity to prospective employers; valuable traits sought by most hiring organizations."
Think about something as fundamental as trying to gauge a candidate's trustworthiness, Leafblad adds. Candidates who are active in civic or volunteer causes are ones who "give back beyond their own self-interest," he observes. That's a lot more likely to impress employers than a bunch of blurry photos of a candidate downing jello shots at a bar.
