Jobseekers warned about online reputation
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Almost half of HR managers have chosen not to hire a candidate as a result of a negative online profile, according to research from Microsoft.
In support of Data Protection Day 2010 the study, which surveyed consumers and HR managers, examined the real-life consequences that online reputation has for jobseekers.
While 41% of UK HR managers have rejected a candidate due to their online profile, almost two-thirds (64%) believe it is appropriate to consider personal online reputational information while evaluating potential employees.
As a candidate, failing to be aware of your online presence clearly has serious implications and yet, just 37% of individuals believe that the responsibility for protecting their online reputation lies entirely with them.
In Europe, the UK is taking the lead on Germany and France in terms of HR managers’ use of social media. In Germany, just 16%of HR professionals have rejected a potential employee due to content online and in France its just 14%.
However, the gap between countries decreases rapidly when asked for predictions for the future. ln the UK, 68% believe that online reputational information will be used five years from now when evaluating job applicants which compares to 79% in Germany and 65% in France.
For more information on how online reputation is affecting employer brand, see Recruiter, 3 February.
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Readers' comments (4)
Mark Gardiner | Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:05 am
Quite simply: why are HR managers on social media sites? Why are their PCs not blocked from these sites like the rest of staff in most companies? I think the stats are a 'screen' or fabrication, they seem unreasonably high! This article also says, in a roundabout kind of way, that half of HR managers choose not to use their professional skills to hire a new recruit but to trawl social media sites for answers. Hardly believable! I hire 100s of people and simply do not have the time or permissions to check out profiles online!
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Bob Vincent | Fri, 29 Jan 2010 5:44 pm
I am keen to see what agencies and companies hold information about myself in regard to employment.
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Stacey | Wed, 10 Feb 2010 9:45 pm
As a result, you can see PR firms migrating to ORM firms (online reputation management), like www.reputec.com who promise to remove negative publicity from google within 4-6 months... What do you say to that? :)
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Therese Fernan | Thu, 11 Feb 2010 3:07 pm
Yeah, I heard about Reputec too. 4 to 6 months? That's actually a very good rate. My sister hired them after she wasn't hired for a job because of a stupid picture. Reputec generated a lot of positive content for her so now, when we type her name on Google, the good links come up.
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