Social Media has encouraged people to become more definitive when talking about anything political. Most content is shared to get an emotional response from the viewers because it keeps people engaged and eager to stay informed. Over the past few years, people have become much more open about sharing their political thoughts online for the world to see. Due to this change, hiring managers have used this information to strategically asses candidates and evaluate decisions and reactions from online users. Here's a detailed article about The Impact of Political Posts on Hiring.
According to Social Media Today, hiring managers check a job applicant's social media profile 61.9% of the time. 17.9% of hiring managers are checking these social media profiles to check for extreme political opinions. It's important to watch what is shared online because it can end up having a huge impact on people in the future, and that is not always a good thing.
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Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI am interning at a private investigation firm right now and I can confirm that employer's are looking at people's social media and hiring people to go through accounts. There are social media analysts at my internship site that have the sole duty of finding anything that the client wants them to find. I have seen several profiles that are full of outlandish political posts that are not something an employer would necessarily want to see. I agree with you that this can have a huge impact on people and their future. Extreme political beliefs can hurt a person when their employer goes looking into a person's digital footprint. They may not care so much about their specific beliefs, but if they are offensive enough then an employer can pass on the person for the job. I am surprised that only 61.9% of employers are checking social media. Considering social media is a huge part of everyone's life these days, I would have thought it would be higher. I think the percentage will continue to increase and that people need to be aware of their social media posts and how they can come back to haunt them. Great post!