Employers Use Internet to Research Job Candidates
by Donna Gundle-Krieg
2006
Have you lost job opportunities due to online information that prospective employers can easily find out about you?
Some employers are also accessing candidate information via social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Xanga and Friendster. Those in the younger generation are the most apt to use these networks, as they have grown up using computers to communicate. A survey of University of Michigan incoming freshman showed that 20% of students spend 6-10 hours per week on these websites, while 48% spend 1-5 hours per week.
These social networking sites are very popular ways for people to communicate, and some people even use these websites to promote themselves for future jobs or clients. However, information on these sites may also cause candidates to be eliminated from a job opening without even knowing it.
“Our company routinely does internet searches on prospective candidates,” said John Kelsey, director of a public relations consulting firm in New York City. “You can often find out much more about a person on the internet than you can using the standard reference checking method.”
He cited the case where one woman had perfect credentials and interviewed well. However, when he googled her, he found a website where she had posted an inappropriate picture of herself as well as other questionable information.
“I was even able to read her conversations with her friends, where she talked about wild weekends barhopping among different clubs,” he laughed. “She didn’t exactly have the character and reputation that we were looking for to represent our company.”
Deana Turner, manager of a small private practice at McCauley Health Services in Ann Arbor, Michigan, does MySpace searches before she even wastes time on an interview.
“I, in fact, canceled an interview after finding an applicant on MySpace,” she said. “This candidate’s MySpace page contained statements which led me to believe that he would not be a good fit for our practice.”
Although Turner admits that MySpace may not be the most accurate indicator of an applicant, “I do believe it is one tool to gain some insight,” she said. “I will use it in the future.”
There are still many employers who do not use the internet to research candidates. “At The Career Center, we have not heard of any employers explicitly indicating that they use Facebook to look into a student's background,” stated Kerin Borland, Senior Associate Director of University of Michigan Career Center.
“In fact, when asked, some employers indicated that due to technical security issues within their organizations, firewalls make it impossible to get to the Facebook site from work, and researching applicants isn't something they would choose to do from home.”
Borland indicated recent changes in Facebook accessing options (e.g. geographic or workplace communities) will allow a broader audience to tap into Facebook. Students may need to reconsider the type of information posted on Facebook that could be seen by those other than their “friends” (a Facebook term).
Many students assume that their information on Facebook is private, without taking the necessary precautions to privatize their information. As a result, employers who are interested can find ways to get to students' profiles through alumni, faculty, parents or other students. There have even been instances of organizations hiring summer interns to scour Facebook profiles for information regarding potential hires.
“With Facebook getting recent media attention, students seem to be more aware of the need to be more cautious given that the audience is broader than their own student body,” said Borland. “However, five minutes on Facebook still results in many examples of unwise postings and pictures.”
Borland has heard some students downplay information on Facebook, suggesting that much of what is documented is college students being college students. “It's when they hear a story about how it impacted another student negatively that it gives them pause,” she said. As Facebook continues to be a tool used beyond the campus setting, new professionals will also need to use sound judgment in determining how they portray themselves publicly.
According to Borland, there are benefits and drawbacks to using Facebook. The ability to connect with friends on campus and in other locations is great. Finding others with similar interests is also very positive. However, students need to keep in mind that Facebook is a public forum and for all the potential of the site there are pitfalls associated with posting a public diary.
“There are many other issues in terms of privatizing information related to safety and security that students should consider," she said. "More students are doing this, but it's like living in a residence hall and leaving your room unlocked. Everything is fine until the wrong person enters.”
Candidates have also created trouble for themselves by posting their political opinions online on weblogs or other venues. Terry Varkins of Toledo, Ohio, posted some anti-Bush comments on his blog, and found out that this posting was the reason he was not hired at a conservative law firm.
“It was probably for the best,” he stated. “If someone doesn’t want to hire me because he doesn’t agree with my opinions, then I’m better off not working there. I refuse to stop posting my opinions.”
Many people think it is wrong for companies to use these websites to make hiring decisions. “Companies have no business snooping into peoples’ personal lives,” stated Kathy Miller of Detroit. “What I do on my own time does not affect my performance as an employee.”
Miller said that she has a MySpace page, but does not publish it under her real name. “I also keep my profile set on private so that I can say whatever I want without worrying about it.” She keeps her information hidden because she has heard of people who have lost interviews and even jobs they already had when someone with power happened across their MySpace pages.
“Even if it’s not right, you still have to play the game,” she admitted. “I’m not going to set myself up to lose any future opportunities.”
For those concerned about their online reputation, companies are now available offering “on-line reference and reputation management services.” RepVine is one such online service that specializes in helping people control what others find out when they search online. This company’s website even has an amusing video to portray the dangers to candidates when employers use MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking sites as part of their background and reference checking process.
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