Can Employers Predict your Job Performance from your Facebook Profile?

Did you know that it can take less than 10 minutes for a potential boss to sift through your Facebook Profile and foretell how you will perform at the workplace?

A new study conducted by the Northeastern Illinois, Evansville and Auburn University asked two students and a university professor to go through the Facebook profiles of 56 employed college students. The reviewers went through each profile for not more than 10 minutes and then rated them.

To answer questions like “is this person dependable?” or “how emotionally stable is this person?” the researchers considered the person’s hobbies, photos and number of friends. A person with a high number of friends, varied interests and adventure/travel photographs was thought to be more agreeable and dependable. Even party snaps boosted a person’s ratings, as researchers felt party snaps showcased the person to be sociable and an extrovert.

After a period of six months, the results were compared with employee evaluations from the supervisors of these 56 students. The results proved that there was indeed a strong connection between a person’s Facebook profile and their success in the working world. The researchers found a strong connection between the job performance and the scores for personality traits, such as, interesting hobbies, thoroughness, dependability, sense of humour, agreeability and curiosity.

TheFacebook evaluations proved to be more accurate than the traditional personality tests that employers use when screening potential employees. This study also revealed that an estimated 70% of HR recruiters turned down prospective candidates when they found negative information from their Facebook profiles. However, employers could find themselves in a legal limbo for using a social site like Facebook to evaluate job seekers. This is why, companies are now hiring outside firms to run a social-media background check on prospective candidates.

If you are on the hunt for a new job, it is safe to assume that a potential employer may go through your Facebook profile. Before you post anything to your profile, pause and ask yourself if you would want your future boss to see it. But don’t let this stop you from posting your latest party or adventure-trip snaps. Who knows, they might actually help you land the job!

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