CorpComms Magazine

More than half of all employers (54 per cent) believe that social media profiles may replace traditional CVs or resumes in the future, while 96 per cent believe it has a role to play in recruitment, a new survey by StepStone has revealed. 

Three in four recruiters regard social media as a 'great extra medium' alongside existing platforms to attract talent, while 19 per cent believe it may replace job boards and print advertising.

They believe that it may produce a higher quality of response because of its potential to run search queries by keywords or qualifications. More than six in ten recruiters have hired people using LinkedIn, while just nine per cent have used Twitter successfully and 15 per cent have found Facebook useful.

But just despite the information available about candidates on social networking sites, just 14 per cent of employers check out candidates' profiles on this forum and four in ten claim to have never sought additional information. However, this may be due to concerns over privacy issues and the use of data.

The finding is particularly pertinent because an American employee is currently challenging his employer's right to access his Facebook account as a condition of his employment. 

Maryland corrections officer Robert Collins is challenging a 'blanket requirement' that applicants and employees undergoing recertification must provide the local authority with their social media account usernames and personal passwords for use in background checks. 

His case is being championed by the American Civil Liberties Union, who claim the policy is a 'gross breach of privacy' and a violation of state and federal law 'which protect privacy rights and extend protections to electronic communications'.

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