The 10 most astonishing social media faux pas have been revealed by job website CWJobs, which found that almost six out of 10 (57%) hiring managers Google their candidate’s name before offering them a position.
The blunders are:
- A candidate who regularly tweeted and shared racist sentiments
- An applicant who admitted on Facebook to enjoying ‘duvet days’ instead of going to work
- A candidate who chose a photo in which they were smoking a joint as a profile picture
- A potential hire who managed to hide the fact they were a neo-Nazi at their interview, but discussed their views on the internet
- A candidate with a job offer who boasted on social media that he had got the role by exaggerating his CV
- An applicant whose LinkedIn history totally contradicted their CV
- Several candidates who had given themselves inappropriate online monikers, including ‘Bitch Kate,’ ‘Queen Bitch', and ‘Full-Time Dickhead’
- An applicant who had a social media presence that identified them as a misogynist
- A candidate that liked to express extreme right-wing views online, and was fond of fox hunting.
- A supposedly successful lawyer who only had a string of losses appear when their name was searched.
The survey of 638 business decision makers found that 43% specifically looked at social media profiles, and more than a quarter (26%) scoured blogs and forums for information on their applicants.
Have you ever uncovered unsavoury information about a candidate by researching them online? Share your social media nightmares below.
