Why social media matters
The most important thing in the Jobvite report which makes for interesting reading for every job seeker and employer is the role that social media now plays in getting employed. Before looking at the social media numbers it is worth pointing out that the most common route into employment is still a recommendation from an existing employee. Contacts matter and for those who have taken the time to nurture their social media contacts this may eventually pay off with a lucrative job offer.
Another factor that must be taken into account when looking at this report is that only 40% of UK recruiters use social media as a key tool for finding workers. For companies such as LinkedIn that have used recruitment and job opportunities as part of their marketing message this is not good news in the UK with just 34% of recruiters likely to use it with Facebook (46%) seen as being more important. Instead, LinkedIn (34%) and Twitter (34%) are seen as being on a par. Given that most people are beginning to lock down their Facebook and are less controlled about what they post, this poses a real quandary for those looking for a job.
There is some cheer for LinkedIn in the survey as it points out that 87% of US recruiters prefer LinkedIn rather than any other social media channel. Presumably this is because they can see a potential employees past employment history including how long they have been employed. It is also much harder to fake up a LinkedIn profile than a CV if you want to get a job as it takes time to build a large number of contacts, references and recommendations for skills.
Recruiters willing to overlook social media indiscretions
We’ve all heard the tales of people posting pictures of themselves drunk, naked and telling stories of how stupid they have been. It turns out the recruiters are willing to overlook some of this when searching for suitable candidates. Of course, when employing someone based on their LinkedIn rather than their Facebook posts, much of this is hidden.
The report highlights that the admitted use of Marijuana is viewed with more tolerance in the UK than the US with only 65% of UK recruiters seeing it as a negative compared to 75% in the US. This is an interesting statistic especially as the US has been relaxing the laws on marijuana use and legalising it in many states. It suggests that while it might now be legal to kick back with a spiff, US employers would rather you didn’t brag about it. The report doesn’t address directly the reason why but it is almost certainly an issue of corporate reputation.
Surprisingly recruiters are more tolerant of those who like to over consume alcohol than they are poor spelling and grammar. In the UK 46% of recruiters see alcohol consumption as a bad thing while 54% are more concerned about standard of English. In the US the numbers are 54% and 72% respectively.
Conclusion
There are many other things in this report that make it clear that what you post on social media can have an effect on your career. Anyone looking for a new job, especially one where they are hoping for a significant improvement in salary needs to consider cleaning up their social media channels before sending out their CVs.
