80 per cent of people believe social media impacts hiring decisions, study finds

Looking for a new job?

Then it turns out it may be time to do a bit of a social media cleanse. 84 per cent of people believe that social media content has an impact on hiring decisions, a study has found. And 82 per cent have some kind of privacy set up on their social media accounts, with one-in-four having every platform set to private. The study was conducted by JDP, a candidate screening company in the US that surveyed 2,007 US participants about what they’re hiding from employers and how far they’ll go to keep it hidden. 43 per cent of people admitting the social media lockdowns are to avoid employers or coworkers, with one in three people said that they won’t connect with their cowards on social media, even after they accept a job. Facebook was the social media platform that users most want to keep hidden (45 per cent), followed by Twitter (35 per cent), Reddit (33 per cent) and Instagram (28 per cent). And one in four people have made an alias account in an effort to keep their social media private. Half of people said that they have removed old profiles or posts in an effort to protect their professional reputation, while 66 per cent of people said this was more likely to happen with Facebook. As for what people are trying to keep hidden? 70 per cent of people said that they were keen to keep their personal life to themselves, while 58 per cent of people said it was unprofessional behaviour that they want to hide. Almost half of respondents (44 per cent) said that it was their political views that stye wanted to keep private. “The findings of the survey are welcomed by the team at Sophos in Ireland because they echo what we’ve been telling people for years – button down the privacy settings on social accounts. The last thing you want is for a wild weekend to spoil your future career opportunities,” Peter Craig, Security Specialist from Sophos in Ireland, told Her about the findings. “We’re all for living your life and freedom of speech, but that won’t stop you getting in trouble at work if your social media profile is seen as damaging your reputation or that of your company. When it comes to looking for a new position, recruiters may see fit to consider your suitability for a role if you do something like bad-mouth a previous employer on social media. “According to the latest study from JDP, 43% of respondents enable privacy settings to keep material hidden from current employers and from whatever social media screenings future employers might run on them. In fact, one in four have every platform set to private. Forty percent of respondents say they’ve gone so far as to create alias accounts. This is something that Irish job seekers should think about when they’re looking for the next move in their careers.”