Check social media profile, employers are watching

Be wary of what you’re putting on your social media profile as most employers are likely to sneak into what you believe is your personal space and come across information that may put you out of favour. This can be detrimental if you were gunning for a job at that very company and you will only end up with regrets.

A new study by Robert Walters, a recruitment firm shows that one in two companies would be prepared to search for information about individual job applicants on personal social media websites.

And, a further 64 per cent of employers say they have used professional social media to inform hiring decisions, with one quarter using the information gained from these sites at the interview stage and 35 per cent when assessing new applications.

Even though employers do all that it takes to gather as much information as possible about the candidates, employees believe this many necessarily not be a nice thing to do.

The study shows that over 60 per cent of job seekers feel it is not appropriate for employers to check their personal social media profiles when applying for a job, arguing that it does not provide an informed picture of their professional strengths.

Like it or not but that does happen and the smarter candidates will be careful in what they post on social media for all to see. The Robert Walters findings reveal that 59 per cent of job seekers are prepared to change their profiles to remove or alter content to appeal to a prospective employer.

This is a prudent move keeping in mind the growing importance of social media as a hiring tool. A previous survey by the Dubai School of Government shows that social media is facilitating access to customised information about jobs and employment opportunities in the region.

The survey conducted by the school last year indicated that a large percentage (71 per cent) would use social media to find their next job. This varied across the eight countries surveyed, ranging from 63 per cent to 75 per cent, with the GCC countries displaying a slightly lesser tendency to use social media for job hunting.

In the UAE, 67 per cent of the respondents said they would reply on social media tools to find their next job. The highest number – 75 per cent – was in Jordan.

Specifically, 80 per cent of respondents felt that social media could help with job hunting by providing access to employment information. A smaller percentage (75 per cent) felt that social media can help create networking opportunities that could lead to employment opportunities, and that social media could create a virtual job market. Meanwhile, 63 per cent said that it could be useful for crowd-sourcing contributors and freelancers, revealed the Dubai School of Government survey.

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