Spotlight Online for Career Services Professionals, March 17, 2010
Think employers aren’t checking the online information about job candidates? Three-quarters of recruiters and human resources professionals report that their organizations have formal policies in place that require them to research candidates online, according to results of a recent survey commissioned by Microsoft. The survey was conducted in December 2009. Approximately 275 recruiters, HR professionals, and hiring managers participated, as did approximately 330 consumers.
In addition, 85 percent of those responding say that positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions and 70 percent say they have rejected candidates based on information they found online. Still, just 7 percent of U.S. consumers surveyed believe online data affected their job search.
What types of sites do employers check most often when considering candidates? Following are the most common types of sites by percentage of respondents who use them:
- Search engines—78 percent
- Social networking sites—63 percent
- Photo- and video-sharing sites—59 percent
- Professional and business networking sites—57 percent
- Personal web sites—48 percent
- Blogs—46 percent
To access the report from the survey, click here.