Next time you start to upload photos of nights out on to social networking site Facebook, or whinge about your day on Twitter, bear in mind that you could be putting your career at risk.
According to a UK commercial property company’s report on the technology industry, one in five bosses has discarded a candidate because of their profiles on social networking sites. Jobseekers are being warned to be far more watchful over what they make public online, as it could cost them that desirable job role.
The worrying news was publicised in the 2012 annual technology market study carried out by the Global PR Network, Eurocom Worldwide, in association with UK PR agency partner, Six Degrees.
The yearly study has previously found that almost 40 per cent of respondents’ companies look at likely employees’ profiles on social media sites-but this is the first clear confirmation that candidates are being discarded because of them.
Network Director at Eurocom Worldwide, Mads Christensen, said: “The 21st-century human in learning that every action leaves an indelible digital trial.”
He further added: “In the years ahead, many of us will be challenged by what we are making public in various social forums today. The fact that one in five applicants disqualify themselves from an interview because of content in the social media sphere is a warning to job seekers and a true indicator of the digital reality we now live in.”
Many have also found themselves chucked out of their jobs later on for what they have posted on the various social media sites. Teacher Ashley Payne was forced to give up her job after her school in Georgia spotted photos of her drinking on social media site Facebook.
Adrian Smith, a Housing officer was given a pay cut after making remarks on the site that gay marriage would be ‘an equality too far’.
The Eurocom Worldwide survey also revealed that although nearly half of technology executives say that their commercial property firms will increase their spending on social media in the next 12 months; over half (57%) say they are unable to accurately measure the impact of the investment. By contrast only 23 per cent say they can truly measure the impact of the investment.
The study said that 74 per cent of respondents believe online PR to be important for their commercial property company’s search engine optimisation, with 37 per cent saying it is extremely important.
Amanda Hassall, Director at Six Degrees, said: “The significant role of online PR in search engine optimisation is often underrated, but clearly not by technology firms.”
The Eurocom Worldwide technology confidence study was conducted online by member agencies during January and February 2012. A total of 318 commercial property companies replied, with approximately 80 per cent from European countries and 11 per cent from America.
Furthermore the report also found that the most popular social media platforms used by technology commercial property companies were LinkedIn at 74 per cent, Twitter at 67 per cent, Facebook at 64 per cent and YouTube at 56 per cent. Only half of respondents surveyed say that their company has a recognised process for listening to what is said about them in social media.
