Recruiters and Social Networking Sites

It is no secret that recruiters, probably the majority of recruiters, use social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn etc and to a lesser extent Twitter. Some use the data on these sites to screen candidates (either in or out) who have applied for vacancies, others use them as a search mechanism much like using a CV database and some use them prior to interview or hire to confirm information supplied during the recruitment process.

What surprised us however, is the extent to which accessing social network sites is now an almost formal part of the assessment process, particularly for administative, technical and mid level management jobs. We were also surprised at the importance placed on information on social networking sites compared with say information in a CV or application letter. It is clear that a good quality CV and Application Letter are still required but it is now essential that these dovetail with data on social networking sites. About 40% of agencies we approached said that a negative impression given on web sites would cause them to eliminate an otherwise excellent candidate.

Factors which caused candidates to be invited to interviews included:
a positive impression of personality
an indication of organisational fit, ie the type of organisation preferred as an employer
information that supported qualifications gained
well presented information that indicated good communiaction
creativity, technical expertise, interpersonal skill etc as appropriate to the role
good references, work related comments posted by others
indication of a mature, well rounded and realistic person

Factors which caused candidates to be rejected included:
inappropriate text or photos
evidence of instability, unreliability or lifestyle that was considered out of context for job concerned
badly presented or unclear information and style of language used
mis representation of qualifications, experience or skill set
image presented significantly different from that presented by CV
shared confidential information from previous employers
negative comment about current / previous employers

As ever the recruitment world is making maximum use of technology and it is the candidate who embraces this rather than the best candidate that is often the winner in securing a new job; the use of socal networks by recruiters is just one example of this changing world. If you require help navigating the recruitment process take a look at http://www.perfectcvs.co.uk/