Blogging for Change

Employers consider credit & online profiles

by Kim McGrigg on
5/19/2010
in Personal Finance

While Blogging for Change topics usually focus on managing expenses, the income side of the equation is just as important. After all, if you don’t have an income, you don’t have money to manage.

Unfortunately, some of the biggest money mistakes happen before you earn your first paycheck. Most people know that things like typos, spelling errors, and word misuse on a resume can decrease your chances of getting a job. It is also well known that having a poor credit history can impact your ability to get some types of jobs and can impact opportunities for promotion at an existing job. But what may be less understood is the role social media activities play in the search for a career.

A 2009 survey by CareerBuilder found that 45% of employers use social networking sites to research potential employees and that what they are finding makes a difference. In fact, more than one out of three employers said that content on social networking sites caused them not to hire a candidate. Of employers who use online searches:

  • 29% use Facebook
  • 26% use LinkedIn
  • 21% use MySpace
  • 11% search blogs
  • 7% follow candidates on Twitter

Even if an employer doesn’t dig too deep, a quick search for your name might make a difference. Both Bing and Google pull information from some social media sites into their search results. Just something to think about before you hit “Share.”

(BTW, I think this is great information to share with young people who may not care about their online image (or their credit report) today, but will in the near future.)

Are you an employer who checks social media sites when gathering information about a potential employee?  Or, are you an employee who is concerned about employer screenings of your online actions?  Please share your thoughts on the comments section.

Kim McGrigg is the former Manager of Community and Media Relations for MMI.

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