Named five points that employers check in the profile of the candidate in social networks

Most employers nowadays are interested in what applicants for a particular position are doing in social networks. A large recruiting company told MK that 72% of companies that somehow study the profiles of candidates on social networks said that after such a check, a decision was made not to invite the job seeker.

“MK” found out from experts in the field of employment what they pay attention to and what recruiting companies and employers are looking for in social networks, studying the applicant.

The job search service released fresh survey data, according to which every twentieth employer in Ulan-Ude fired employees for their publications on the Internet, and almost a quarter of employers refused to join their company for posting on social networks.

At the same time, slightly less than half (41%) of applicants understand that the employer will take an interest in his virtual life on the Web. 8% of the surveyed citizens consider employers to view their pages unlikely, and 12% do not care at all what recruiters think about it and post what they want.

– Employers quite often study the candidate’s social networks; First of all, they evaluate its adequacy, – told “MK” HR Director of one of the companies, career consultant and psychologist Svetlana Lenkova from Moscow. – They look at his hobbies, what he is interested in, what he writes, what he posts. In what manner he communicates with other people, his loyalty to others is evaluated, what and how he comments. To what extent the values ​​that he broadcasts coincide with the position of the company. Extremist statements and actions can hinder employment if they see some provocative posts, rudeness, photographs that go beyond the bounds of decency. Before you start looking for a job, I advise everyone to check their social networks and clean them of questionable photos and posts. Now on large recruiting sites there is a button that will allow employers, when searching for candidates, to go to a person’s profile on any social network.

“Our surveys confirm that in 46% of companies, checks are carried out selectively by recruiters,” said Ksenia Stepanova, head of corporate culture and internal communications at hh. – In 22% of companies, such a check is carried out for candidates for any positions, in 16% – only for positions of managers and leading specialists. In 72% of companies that somehow conduct social media profiles of candidates, they said that after such a check, a decision was made not to invite the job seeker.

The expert said that a page on the social network can not only become an additional advantage in favor of the candidate, but also, in principle, help to find a job.

Here are five points that employers first of all pay attention to.

1. The very presence of a profile on a social network. Odnoklassniki is associated with the older generation, Vkontakte, on the contrary, with generations Y and Z. After several foreign social networks are recognized as extremist, recruiters most often look at profiles in Odnoklassniki and Vkontakte.

– If you are an interior designer, make-up artist, photographer, social networks with visual content can become your “resume” or portfolio, continues Ksenia Stepanova. – And if you are looking for a job in SMM, PR, HR, sales and other professions related to communication and the ability to put letters into words, the employer will most likely study what, about what and how you wrote.

2. Circle of communication. The employer looks at those who are your friends, the community around you, interests, geotags. A plus will be marks that you attend business events in your field, lectures and master classes. The expert advises to subscribe to profile groups on your topic, participate in discussions, initiate discussions.

3. Post frequency. However, it all depends on the field in which the applicant works. If social networks are your job, then it is logical that you “spend” most of the day there. “But it’s not worth it for a financial director, buyer or engineer not to get out of social networks for six hours a day, this is rather a minus,” the expert warns.

If you have an active business life, you can celebrate at events, post photos and small comments. But it’s not worth giving out longreads too often, as well as commenting on every photo of your friends – the employer may have doubts that you have time to work.

4. Content of posts. Traditionally, it is recommended to avoid discussions on potentially conflicting topics – these are politics, religion, national and gender issues. You also need to remember about trade secrets and ethics: you should not discuss your colleagues or anyone else.

5. Photos. “Most career counselors believe that photos in a swimsuit or with alcohol should not be on a public profile. If you want to leave such photos, at least open access to them only for friends, ”advises Ksenia Stepanova. It is best to post photos from business events, as well as confirming the versatility of your interests. The photo on the profile picture does not have to be business. But you definitely should not put a photo of another person or cat.

The hh specialist also warns: if there are several days left before the interview, you should not try to hastily impersonate another person and completely change all your profiles. But it makes sense to figure out the visibility settings (which information is visible to everyone, and which to only friends), check your tags on dubious photos, and delete overly emotional posts or comments makes sense.

– Regarding photos with alcohol: if a person posts photos from some parties with alcohol every other day, then it is clear that the employer will think about whether he needs such an employee? – adds career consultant Svetlana Lenkova. – As for photographs in swimsuits, if a person gets a job as a teacher or in general in any field of activity related to children, then, as we know from sensational stories, this is not welcome.

Employment specialists also said that in most companies, HR managers continue to monitor the social networks of employees after they have hired them. And they can fire an employee if, for example, he spoke badly about his company.