Almost one in five technology firms have actively chosen not to hire someone because of their social media profile, research has revealed.
In previous runs of the study, around 40% or so respondents’ checked out candidates’ profiles on social media sites. But this is the first time that they have admitted to rejecting candidates because of them.
Mads Christensen, network director of global PR network, Eurocom Worldwide, which conducted the poll, said: “The 21st century human is learning that every action leaves an indelible digital trail. In the years ahead, many of us will be challenged by what we are making public in various social forums today…[this] is a warning to job seekers and a true indicator of the digital reality we now live in.”
The social networking sites that employers tended to monitor most were LinkedIn (74%); Twitter (67%); Facebook (64%) and YouTube (56%).
In addition, while 49% of those questioned said that their organisation planned to increase expenditure on social media over the next 12 months, some 57% indicated that they were unable to measure the impact of the investment accurately.
