Your social networking page may help you land or kill a job opportunity

According to an article at careerbuilder.com, 22% of their 3,100 associated employers will use social networking sites when researching a candidate for a position. This number is twice what it was a year ago, and will likely increase.

This means that if you are applying for a job, there is a good chance that the hiring manager will check out your MySpace, Facebook, or other web page. What you have on your social networking pages can both help your resume raise to the top of the pile, or be thrown in the garbage.

Of those hiring managers who do look at social networking pages, one third of which have dismissed candidates from consideration because of what they found. The top reasons they reported for removing a candidate from consideration are:

• Information about drinking or drug usage
• Provocative or inappropriate photographs
• Poor communication skills presented
• Bad-mouthing of previous employeers
• False qualification reported

On the other hand, some hiring managers found information on social networking sites which helped them to solidify their decision to hire a candidate. Some of the things they found which helped them with that decision were:

• Background information supported their qualifications
• Great communication skills
• Website portrayed a professional image
• Candidate had great references posted about them
• Wide range of interests

I know that in many of the positions for which I was given an offer, my professional website was at least viewed by those who were interviewing me.

I also know, however, that some companies have policies against researching a candidate online.

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