45% of Employers Screen Job Candidates Online

There is no doubt that social media is changing the way we are communicating.

Polls, published on FastCompany put this trend into perspective for Job Seekers. Thank you CareerBuilder.com for running the surveys:

• 45% of employers check social networks before hiring
• 11% plan to use social networking sites for screening in the near future
• 35% of companies had rejected a candidate based on information from a social-network profile
• 14% rejected a candidate for using an emoticon

Here is a summary of why companies DID hire people based on their social media profiles:

• 50% chose a candidate because the profile communicated a “good fit” and personality
• 39% based on professional qualifications
• 39% based on the creativity of the candidate

Lesson: Clean up your dirt online, keep it real, be creative.