Survey reveals the top social media faux pas that doom job applicants

Call it a cheap way to increase my SEO — Kim Kardashian Justin Bieber love child — but I’m ending the week the way I started it: with another social media post.

Come you moths to my social media flame.

Ha Ha! Made you listen to The Bangles! Good luck getting that song out of your head. Maybe this will help. #Sike

So, while you curse me for planting kitschy 80’s ballads in your head, check out the top ten social media red flags (according to a CareerBuilder survey) why companies are passing on job candidates:

46% Posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information

41% Posted information about them drinking or using drugs

36% Bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee

32% Poor communication skills **Meyer curses survey**

28% Discriminatory comments

25% Lied about qualifications

24% Shared confidential information from previous employers

22% Linked to criminal behavior

21% Screen name was unprofessional

13% Lied about an absence

Among the worst social media content that employers had identified as candidate disqualifiers: (1) A social media profile included links to an escort service; (2) Posting a photo of one’s own arrest warrant (although a sexy mugshot has been known to lead to a modeling contract); (3) Candidate had sued his wife for shooting him in the head.

But all is not lost for us social media dorks — holla if you hear me! Survey says: social media can help separate you from the pack (in a good way, as opposed to a shot-in-the-head way) too. Among the common reasons employers hired a candidate based on their social networking presence are:

46% Got a good feel for the job candidate’s personality, could see a good fit within the company culture

45% Background information supported their professional qualifications for the job

43% Job candidate’s site conveyed a professional image

40% Well-rounded, showed a wide range of interests

40% Had great communication skills

36% Job candidate was creative

31% Received awards and accolades

30% Other people posted great references about the job candidate

24% Job candidate had interacted with my company’s social media accounts

14% Job candidate had a large amount of followers or subscribers

Well, now I’m not sure if it’s the “site conveyed a professional image” personal validation ** fart ** or the lingering sugar high from yesterday’s Fluffernutter gorging, but I’m going to extend a final opportunity to snag a copy of my slide deck from my SHRM presentation, “Social Media: Practical Guidance from the Youngest Attorney in the Room.”

Send me an email, and the PowerPoint is yours.

Image credit: Imgur