HR Strategy & Practice
Social networking sites affect recruitment
Social networking sites can gravely affect employability, a new survey from Viadeo shows.
One in five employers admitted to checking out applicants' 'online footprint' at sites such as MySpace and Facebook as a part of their decision-making process.
A quarter of HR decision-makers said they had rejected applicants on the basis of information found online.
"These results should act as a wake-up call to anyone who has ever posted personal information online," said Peter Cunningham, UK country manager at Viadeo.
"When people who are not the original intended audience - such as potential employers - find this information it can have a major impact on their decision making process," he added.
Viadeo also asked employers to specify some of the online content that had swerved their decision.
'His MySpace website showed a negative side to him including excessive alcohol abuse and disrespect for his job' and 'We found that the candidate was personally into some activities which did not fit ethically into my company' were among reasons given.
Just under half of 18-24 year olds have posted personal information on social networking sites.
© Adfero Ltd
Events Update
16/07/08
Dramatic increase in employer’s prosecutions for hiring illegal immigrants
In just four months under the new legislation, 352 businesses have been caught employing illegal workers. Just 15 employers were prosecuted in 2007.
Find out how to protect your organisation from the risks of employing illegal workers at Symposium Events’ Employing and Vetting Non-UK Nationals 2008 conference.
