Every second company screens applicants on social networks

Around one in two companies (46%) scrutinize the relevant pages on the Internet. Entries in professional networks such as Xing or LinkedIn are evaluated more frequently (39 percent) than those with a more private focus such as Facebook or Twitter (24 percent).

This is the result of a representative survey commissioned by the digital association Bitkom among 408 HR managers in companies with 50 or more employees.

"Profiles on social networks are often more informative than a short application. That's why HR departments will use them even more frequently in future to get an idea of candidates"

says Bitkom Chief Executive Bernhard Rohleder.

"A well-maintained profile can complement the application documents, underline your own qualifications and round off the image of a candidate."

Discover contradictions

More than one in seven HR managers (15 percent) who look at applicants' profiles on social networks have already decided not to invite applicants to an interview or not to offer them a job after all on the basis of an online check.

90 percent of these personnel decision-makers cite contradictions in the application documents as the reason for their decision. One in three (32 percent) report incompetent professional statements from candidates, while six percent have come across offensive comments.

By contrast, the candidate's political world view or photos of exuberant parties play no role.

"No personnel decision-maker is so unworldly that they would reject applicants because they are partying wildly. But there are limits to what should be posted publicly online"

says Rohleder.

It's about qualifications

When checking social media profiles, the focus of interest is on professional qualifications (89 percent), public statements on specialist topics (72 percent) and about the company or its competitors (56 percent).

Just under one in two (44%) also pay attention to candidates' hobbies or private activities, while 34% look very closely at published photos. Of less interest are the number of contacts in the networks (five percent) or political views (four percent).