Communities
Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle
It’s pretty well known that employers do some extensive background checks before hiring their employees. Criminal background checks, credit reports and online searches have dominated these checks in the past, but now social media is stepping up and taking part in these searches as well.
A new company, Social Intelligence, is making it easier for employers to track the online social lives of potential employees. Been uploading nude photos to Twitter? Making racist remarks on Facebook? Employers can now find out relatively easily. In fact, according to Joe Bontke, outreach manager for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “70 percent of recruiters in the United States report that they have rejected candidates because of information online”. If there wasn’t incentive enough before, this should be enough to make most people act appropriately on social networks. But while everyone is busy focusing on the negative impacts that social media can have on ones professional future, there are just as many arguments to the contrary. Social media might actually be able to help you get a job eventually. LinkedIn is obviously the first example that comes to mind, but Facebook and Twitter could potentially also help you land that dream job.
Love photography and just starting to take some really great photos? Post those. Actually have a grip on how to use Twitter to your advantage enough to Tweet about things your industry might care about? Tweet away! Social media can be a double edged sword when it comes to employment, but it does have extreme potential to cast a positive light on your employment potential, rather than a negative one. So next time, steer clear of the beer bong picture and aim for something that might draw the attention of a future employer.
Other Must-Read Headlines this week:
Tools and Technology: Anonymous unleashes social network AnonPlus after Google+ ban
Anonymous, the group of web hackers, has decided to go ahead and create their own social network.
Measurement: Facebook ranks low in satisfaction, but still dominates
A new report shows that Facebook ranks very low in customer satisfaction, but is still one of the leading social networks.
Partnerships: What happens when you marry sports, sensors & social?
Sports and social media have finally decided to pair up, with potentially awesome results.
Influencers: Google+ users are nearly all male
Google+ has now reached 10 million users, but why are most of them male?
Fun Stuff: Double Rainbow guy running for president via Facebook
Would you vote for this guy?
