5 personality traits employers look for in job seeker's social media content

Researchers have revealed that while it is an obvious fact that job applicants try to make a good impression when meeting a prospective employer, screening job seekers' social media posts can help an employer to learn what applicants are really like.

Unfiltered personal communications, photos, comments about others, and references to alcohol and drug use reflect five revealing personality characteristics that might impact their work performance.

According to authors J. William Stoughton, MS, Lori Foster Thompson, PhD, and Adam Meade, PhD, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, their study identifies links between online behaviour and extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience.

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Editor-in-Chief of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, from the Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, CA said that becoming aware that employment screening is being enhanced by information provided on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook may affect individuals' choices of current posts by causing them to reflect on future consequences.

The study is published in journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.