Along with cover letters and résumés, jobseekers in the 21st century will also have their participation in phenomenally popular social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter looked at during pre-employment background checks.
According to a June 2009 CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,600 hiring managers, almost half (forty-five percent) of employers reported that they used social networking sites to screen potential employees during background checks, twice as many as the 22 percent who viewed social networking sites in 2008. In addition, eleven percent of employers planned to start using social networking sites during the background check process.
The survey also revealed that the most popular social networking sites for employers who conducted online searches during background checks of job candidates were Facebook (29 percent), LinkedIn (26 percent), MySpace (21 percent), and Twitter (7 percent).
With regard with a particular industries, the survey found jobseekers looking for work in Information Technology (63 percent) and Professional/Business Services (53 percent) were the most likely to have social networking sites screened by potential employers during background checks.
In another finding that should make jobseekers reconsider posting what may be deemed inappropriate material online, the survey showed that over one-third (35 percent) of employers reported they had found content on social networking sites during background checks that caused them to reconsider hiring the candidate. Examples of this "inappropriate" content from jobseekers included:
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Posting provocative photographs or information (53 percent)
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Posting content about drinking or using drugs (44 percent)
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Bad-mouthing previous employer, co-workers, or clients (35 percent)
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Showing poor communication skills (29 percent)
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Making discriminatory comments (26 percent)
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Lying about qualifications (24 percent)
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Sharing confidential information from previous employer (20 percent)
On the positive side, 18 percent of employers said they found content on social networking sites during background checks that led them to hire the candidate, including profiles that showed: the personality to fit within the organization (50 percent), professional qualifications (39 percent), creativity (38 percent), solid communication skills (35 percent), well-roundedness (33 percent), good references from others (19 percent), and that the candidate had received awards (15 percent).
For better or worse, jobseekers in today's Internet Age must realize that their job interviews and background checks can last 24 hours a day and 7 says a week due to the inter-connectedness and easy availability of social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter, among others.
Some jobseekers are taking pro-active steps to stand out from the crowd by ordering "personal" background checks on themselves to show potential employers. MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in providing consumer requested and applicant supplied background checks on individuals – can help jobseekers provide employers with accurate and current information in a safe and secure manner.
For more information on how personal background checks can help jobseekers gain employment, please visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
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The results of a recent sample of criminal background checks on prospective church volunteers show the need for churches to remain on guard in protecting their congregations against workers with criminal pasts.
According to an article posted online at The Birmingham (AL) News, an agency that conducted 5,000 background checks for 450 churches found serious felonies in 80 cases and more than 600 people – almost 1 in 8 – that had some criminal history that may disqualify them from working at a church.
For example, the article reports that the Westmont Baptist Church in Birmingham – which supported a resolution adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2007 that urged churches to perform criminal background checks on employees – has a policy in place that even volunteers that work with youth down through preschool cannot work as a volunteer unless they pass the background check. According to the story, the church began using a background check service two months ago and already has declined security clearance to a potential volunteer because of information found during a background check.
The churches that have taken part in the background check program are not all Southern Baptist, the article reports, and the statistics did not include geographical or denominational breakdowns. Overall, according to the report, while only a small percentage of churches even do minimal background checks, the message is getting out to churches about the importance of background checks.
The results of the background check program reported in the article shows that any organization – even if it is a church – must take steps to ensure the safety and security of its members and the community. MyBackgroundCheck.com – a leader in consumer requested and applicant supplied background checks – offers a Volunteer Tracking System (VTS) to help non-profit organizations manage risk at minimal costs.
For more information about how the Volunteer Tracking System (VTS) helps volunteer organizations like churches, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com/Business/Volunteer, fill out a "Request More Information" form, call 1-800-503-2364, or complete a Volunteer Screening and Risk Management Nonprofit Organization Survey. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
Effective immediately, the U.S. Marine Corps has banned Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other Social Networking Sites (SNS) from its networks for one year, according to a recently issued order.
Citing security concerns, the Marine Corps order defines SNS as “web-based services that allow communities of people to share common interests and/or experiences existing outside of Department of Defense (DOD)” that are a “haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due to information exposure, user generated content, and targeting by adversaries.”
Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are singled out as examples of SNS in the issued order, which states that a social networking site by its very nature “creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries, and provides an easy conduit for information leakage” that can elevate the risk of compromise.
While the banning of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or any other social networking site for a year may seem severe, those non-military individuals using social networking sites would be to wise to check if any of the security concerns of the Marine Corps could apply to their own personal and/or professional lives.
For example, “malicious actors and content” could easily apply to identity thieves and phishers who use “information exposure” by members of Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter that allow “targeting by adversaries.” Individuals who value their personal information and professional reputations should also be wary of web sites – including incredibly popular ones like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter – that help create an “attack and exploitation window” to expose “information to adversaries” and enable “information leakage.”
While enjoying the obvious benefits of social networking, members of sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter may want to protect themselves by keeping their guard up and being on the lookout for possible acts of identity theft and phishing (the criminally fraudulent attempt to acquire sensitive information in an electronic communication).
To help individuals protect their personal information online and off, MyBackgroundCheck.com offers "personal" background checks that keep sensitive data accurate, up-to-date, and secure by allowing people to run background checks on themselves. To learn more about personal background checks, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!