CorpComms Magazine

More than half of employers check the social media profiles of potential employees, according to new research from business psychology firm OPP.

But, while 56 per cent admitted that they were likely to do so, more than one quarter said that they would be uncomfortable with the same being done to them.

According to OPP, more than a third of people say that they alter their online persona, which could leave a potential employer with misleading information about the applicant.

To safeguard against such intrusive investigation, OPP recommends that people behave on professional social networking site LinkedIn as they would at a real-life professional networking event.

OPP also recommends that people check their Facebook and Twitter privacy settings if they wish to avoid this happening to them.

When checking the profiles, employers need to avoid any biases which may include racist, sexist or religious views that may affect their decision to hire the person or not. The same rules apply when deciding whether to fire an employee or not, based on any social media findings.

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