Job candidates have for some time now been warned to keep their Facebook pages clean in case a future boss goes snooping. Now it’s official: some 22 percent of hiring managers say they use social networking sites to scope out potential employees. That’s double the percentage from 2006.
 
The survey of more than 3,100 employers was conducted by CareerBuilder.com. An additional 9 percent said they don’t currently use social networking sites to screen potential employees, but plan to start.

With such statistics, you’d think job seekers would get the hint and keep incriminating details off their public personas. Not so, apparently. Of those hiring managers who have screened job candidates via social networking profiles, one-third (34 percent) reported they found content that caused them to dismiss the candidate from consideration.  

Here’s why:

- 41% – candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs
- 40% – candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
- 29% – candidate had poor communication skills
- 28% – candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee
 -27% – candidate lied about qualifications
- 22% – candidate used discriminatory remarks related to race, gender,
religion, etc.
 -22% – candidate’s screen name was unprofessional
- 21% – candidate was linked to criminal behavior
- 19% – candidate shared confidential information from previous employers

But it’s not all gloom and doom. A significant, albeit smaller, 24 percent of hiring managers said that social networking sites helped solidify their decision to hire a candidate. Top factors in this case:

- 48% – candidate’s background supported their qualifications for the job
- 43% – candidate had great communication skills
- 40% – candidate was a good fit for the company’s culture
- 36% – candidate’s site conveyed a professional image
- 31% – candidate had great references posted about them by others
- 30% – candidate showed a wide range of interests
- 29% – candidate received awards and accolades
- 24% – candidate’s profile was creative

The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com