According to a recent survey conducted by Microsoft, 70% of U.S. hiring managers reject candidates based on information located online, while only 7% of consumers think that online information affected their job search.
The following are the most two most interesting findings from the study:
Do you review online reputational information about candidates when evaluating them for a potential job / college admission?
- All the time – 44%
- Most of the time – 35%
- Sometimes – 9%
- Rarely – 5%
- Never – 6%
What are the types of online reputational information that influenced decisions to reject a candidate?
- Concerns about the candidate’s lifestyle – 58%
- Inappropriate comments and text written by the candidate – 56%
- Unsuitable photos , videos, and information – 55%
- Inappropriate comments or text written by friends and relatives – 43%
- Comments criticizing previous employers, co-workers, or clients – 40%
- Inappropriate comments or text written by colleagues – 40%
- Membership in certain groups and networks – 35%
- Discovered that information the candidate shared was false – 30%
- Poor communication skills displayed online – 27%
- Concern about the candidate’s financial background – 16%
And yet, nearly 90% of recruiters and HR professionals surveyed report that they are somewhat to very concerned that the online reputational information they discover may be inaccurate. If you want to review the complete findings, Microsoft has made available a summary as a PDF, and its full research results as a PowerPoint.
What does all of this mean? Here’s what I’ve said previously on this issue:
There is a justified fear that a lot of the information on the internet is unreliable and unverifiable. I have another problem with HR departments willy-nilly performing internet searches on job applicants – the risk that such a search will disclose protected information such as age, sex, race, or medical information.
For more on developing a DIY internet background screening strategy for your company, see Googling job applicants. You can also check out what the Delaware Employment Law Blog has to say on this issue.
Presented by Kohrman Jackson & Krantz, with offices in Cleveland and Columbus. For more information, contact Jon Hyman, a partner in our Labor & Employment group, at (216) 736-7226 or jth@kjk.com.