Employers use social networking sites to scan job seekers

Job seekers need to be watchful while posting information about themselves on social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut, as majority of the Indian companies are using such sites to scan more about 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.

While, another 15 per cent plan to start use 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 candidate.

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.

Further, the report said, job seekers bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients, and even shared confidential information from previous employer are some of the other reasons for not selecting the prospective candidates.

"Social networking is a great way to make connections with potential job opportunities in 2010 and promote your personal brand across the Internet,

"Make sure you are using this resource 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, need to be selective while accepting friends' request and not to mention about job search if you are still employed among others.

More than 1,000 employers participated in the survey, which was completed in December 2009.