Seventy percent of participating U.S. employers indicated they had rejected a job applicant based on their on line profile in a recent Microsoft survey. U.S. employers were well ahead of the UK, Germany, and France:
The study found that employers’ scrutiny focused on concerns about the applicant’s lifestyle, inappropriate comments by the candidate, and unsuitable pictures and video:
We’ve talk here before about the online biographies we are creating through blogs and social media. Microsoft has a few suggestions on how to control your online reputation. These include monitoring your online reputation with frequent online searches, choosing your photos carefully, watching your language, and not mixing your public and private lives online. The latter is almost impossible these days as the distinction between our professional and private lives blur. Just assume everything you author, upload, or your friends author or upload about you will be seen by a potential employer, someone preparing to take your deposition, or even someone considering seeing you socially. A search on Google, Facebook, or Twitter is free and easy to do.
