How Facebook could cost you your job! One in five bosses has rejected a job applicant after checking out their profile on social media sites
PUBLISHED: 08:45 EST, 16 March 2012 | UPDATED: 10:42 EST, 16 March 2012
Next time you start to upload pictures of nights out on to Facebook, or moan about your day on Twitter, bear in mind that you could be risking your career.
One in five bosses have rejected an applicant because of their profiles on social networking sites, according to a UK company's report on the technology industry.
Jobseekers are being warned to be far more vigilant over what they reveal online, as it could cost them that coveted role.
Internet test: Applicants are regularly turned down for interviews because of their profiles on social media sites, according to a report on the technology industry
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Costly: High school teacher Ashley Payne was forced to resign after her principal said photos of her drinking on Facebook, above, 'promoted alcohol use'
Dispute: Adrian Smith, left, was demoted after boss David Barrow, right, told him comments he had made on Facebook about gay marriage could undermine his workplace, Trafford Housing Trust
A fifth of IT executives admitted they have rejected applicants because of what they have posted on social media.
The worrying news was revealed in the 2012 annual technology market survey conducted by Eurocom Worldwide, the Global PR Network, in association with UK PR agency partner, Six Degrees.
FACEBOOK FIRINGS
Even job-hunters who have passed any online screening to land their dream role should not relax.
Increasing numbers of workers have been sacked for careless social media posts - so however strong your privacy settings, take note of these cautionary tales:
- An 18-year-old Buckingham Palace guard was fired ahead of the royal wedding after he allegedly called Kate Middleton a 'stupid stuck up cow' in a Facebook post.
- Kimberley Swann, 16, was fired after three weeks as an admin assistant for writing on Facebook about how bored she was with her job. Her status updates included: 'first day at work. omg!! So dull!!'
- Stephanie Bon was fired from her role as an HR assistant at Lloyds after posting a comment about her boss earning more money than her. She wrote: 'New CEO gets £4,000 an hour. I get £7. That’s fair.'
- Prison officer Nathan Singh, who worked at HMP Leicester, was sacked for gross misconduct after becoming Facebook friends with current and previous inmates.
- Thirteen Virgin Atlantic cabin crew members were fired after posting comments on Facebook labelling passengers 'chavs' and claiming there were cockroaches on the planes.
- Emma Short, a travel agent from Coventry, was fired after using her Facebook page to say of a colleague that she wanted to 'smack the brown-nosing cow in the face'.
- Housing association manager Adrian Smith was demoted after writing on Facebook that gay marriage would be ‘an equality too far’.
- Ashley Payne, a high school teacher from Georgia, was forced to resign after posting pictures of herself drinking on the social networking site. The 24-year-old was told her page 'promoted alcohol use' and 'contained profanity'.
The annual study has previously found that almost 40 per cent of respondents’ companies look at potential employees’ profiles on social media sites - but this is the first clear evidence that candidates are being rejected because of them.
'The 21st-century human is learning that every action leaves an indelible digital trail,' said Mads Christensen, Network Director at Eurocom Worldwide.
'In the years ahead, many of us will be challenged by what we are making public in various social forums today.
'The fact that one in five applicants disqualify themselves from an interview because of content in the social media sphere is a warning to job seekers and a true indicator of the digital reality we now live in.'
Many have also found themselves kicked out of their jobs later on for what they have posted on social media.
Teacher Ashley Payne was forced to resign after her school in Georgia spotted photos of her drinking on Facebook.
Housing officer Adrian Smith was given a pay cut after commenting on the site that gay marriage would be 'an equality too far.'
The Eurocom Worldwide survey also revealed that while nearly half of technology executives say that their firms will increase their expenditure on social media in the next 12 months, only 23 per cent say they can accurately measure the impact of the investment.
The survey said that 74 per cent of respondents consider online PR to be important for their company’s search engine optimisation, with 37 per cent saying it is very important.
'The significant role of online PR in search engine optimisation is often underrated, but clearly not by technology firms,' said Amanda Hassall, director at Six Degrees.
The Eurocom Worldwide technology confidence survey was conducted online by member agencies of Eurocom Worldwide during January and February 2012.
A total of 318 companies replied, with approximately 80 per cent from European countries and 11 per cent from the Americas.
The report also found that most popular social media platforms used by technology companies were LinkedIn (74 per cent), Twitter (67 per cent), Facebook (64 per cent) and YouTube (56 per cent).
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Hmmmm, I'm not surprised by this and I totally agree! :)
- Riso, Maidstone, Kent, England., 16/3/2012 19:50
Is this even legal? I thought you weren't allowed to give out your FB password to ANYONE, which would mean that employers who snoop on peoples profiles are breaking the law! Scary!
- claire davey, crediton, 16/3/2012 19:31
What is FaceBook? Is that the spy website everyone is leaving?
- Annoyed, London, 16/3/2012 19:17
If you post things publicly you can not complain if people chose to read them. As for getting sacked from a job even private settings may not help because if you get grassed up by "friends" the company will still class your postings as public cause your "friends" are potential clients. Nearly every contract I have had has had a confidentiality agreement so moaning about the company, clients, staff etc or divulge information publicly has always been something I could be sacked for. My employee code of conduct states if I tell people I work for the company I then become a representative and have to act accordingly so if I put that I work for the company in my facebook info whatever I have posted or post can not go against the company's code so drunken pics would be a no no. So I do not name the company or moan about them in any way that leaves evidence that could be used against me, simple. I am sure lots of people have similar in their contracts and still post their employers name.
- Mea, Here, 16/3/2012 19:10
Oh here we go, this urban myth again. On the whole, you can never actually do this. I know, I have tried a few times. In fact if I found an applicant that was stupid enough to leave their profile open, then I wouldn't hire them because they are an obvious security risk.
- Barry, United Kingdom, 16/3/2012 19:09
I generally go by the rule of "if you don't want the whole world to know don't post it on facebook".
- Lea, Essex, 16/3/2012 19:03
You have to show a high level of stupidity to put any personal or damaging details on any social networking sites.
- Common Dog, Newport Gwent, 16/3/2012 18:57
lock your profile and hide your friends from view.. thats what I do... and if I write anything about work I dont include work collegues.... in fact I dont have work collegues on my facebook... and if anyone from work is able to view anything on my page i would put it down to 'suspicious reasons' and ask them HOW they managed to see anything
- Willow, Down Town, 16/3/2012 18:54
Where do you think Facebook gets all its revenue? From selling its product. That's US. And as far as 'privacy settings' go, since video games have 'cheat codes' (and the companies sell books of them to players, or course), what makes you think Facebook and other (anti)social media providers are all that secure? Even if they themselves don't sell 'cheat' codes to background checkers, hackers will. It's a jungle out there, and if you trust these bounders then you're the prey.
- DrMallard, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 16/3/2012 18:48
I don't know why people feel the need to offload all of their life problems onto their Facebook status....... It's sad.
- only me, uk, 16/3/2012 18:47
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I am so glad I do social media for a living - I don't have to worry about a boss firing me...
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