CareerBuilder.com recently survey 31,000 employers and found that 1/3 of them have rejected an applicant because of poor reputation management.
- Information about alcohol or drug use (41% of managers said this was a top concern)
- Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate’s page (40%)
- Poor communication skills (29%)
- Bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees (28%)
- Inaccurate qualifications (27%)
- Unprofessional screen names (22%)
- Notes showing links to criminal behavior (21%)
- Confidential information about past employers (19%)
The study did find that 24% of hiring managers found content on social networks that helped convince them to hire a candidate. Hiring managers said that profiles showing a professional image and solid references can boost a candidate’s chances for a job.
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There are tons of online reputation management companies out there to counter this. I personally like Reputation Technologies. They helped me a lot. I’m definitely recommending them.