Job seekers need to be watchful while posting information about themselves on social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut, as a majority of Indian companies are using such sites as a tool to do prior research on the candidates, a survey has found.
Out of the 100 employers surveyed, about 73 per cent of them said they use social networking sites to research job candidates, according to the report by online job-site, CareerBuilder India .
Another 15 per cent plan to start using these sites for screening.
The report revealed that about 42 per cent of employers have found content on social networking sites which leads them not to hire prospective candidates.
About 48 per cent of employers said they disregarded a particular candidate after screening because he lied about his qualifications on social networking sites, and 31 per cent of employers said they did not hire a candidate as he showed poor communication skills.
Job seekers who bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients, and even shared confidential information from the previous employer are some examples of prospective candidates being rejected.
“Make sure you are using this resource (social networking) to your advantage by conveying a professional image and underscoring your qualifications,” CareerBuilder India Managing Director Arti Pullins said.
About 59 per cent of employers reported that a good profile supported by job-seekers’ professional qualifications help them in recruiting.
The report suggested that job-seekers should remove photos, content and links that can work against them, while searching for a job.
More than 1,000 employers participated in the survey, which was completed in December 2009.
