Who are you, really?

That’s a question most employers want to know the answer to. Beyond your cover letter and resume or CV, what are you about? Are you trustworthy, respectful, responsible? Are you a hard worker? Will you follow through on promises?

Because most people are on their best behavior during the interview process, it can be hard for hiring managers or employers to tell. So they Google you.

In particular, they look at your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media profiles you have publicly available. Actually, they may not even use Google if the employment screening company that runs their background checks offers sophisticated social media searches – and it seems that many employers are doing just that.

According to a Harris Poll that surveyed 1,012 hiring and human resource managers, social media searches are now a regular part of their employment screening process.

The survey respondents said they use social media searches to discover posts that might disqualify a candidate and to find posts that helped them make a positive hiring decision.

Content that employers discovered which led to disqualification includes:

– Candidate posted inappropriate photographs, videos or information: 40 percent
– Candidate posted information about them using illegal drugs: 36 percent
– Candidate had discriminatory posts about race, gender, religion: 31 percent
– Candidate was glorifying criminal behavior: 30 percent
– Candidate lied about qualifications: 27 percent
– Candidate disparaged their previous employer or fellow employee: 25 percent
– Candidate shared previous employer’s confidential information: 20 percent

Among the reasons cited for not hiring a candidate that had posted negative content, respondents cited risks to the company’s workforce, risks to the company’s reputation and possible litigation.

Among the reasons used to hire a candidate, content included:

– Candidate’s posts supported their professional qualifications: 37 percent
– Candidate was creative: 34 percent
– Candidate’s profile conveyed a professional image: 33 percent
– Candidate was well-rounded, showed a wide range of interests: 31 percent
– Candidate had great communications skills: 28 percent
– Candidate received awards and accolades: 26 percent
– Candidate had interacted with company’s social media accounts: 22 percent
– Job candidate posted compelling video or other content: 21 percent

Employers continue to monitor employees’ online presence even after they’re hired. Nearly half of employers say they use social networking sites to research current employees and 10 percent do this daily. Further, a third of employers have found content online that caused them to reprimand or terminate an employee.

SafestHires offers a social media search that covers Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram and TiKTok. Average turnaround time is one day and the price is $16.50.

To start using this search, contact support@safesthires.com to request more information.