More employers checking social media before hiring

TUCSON - Don't look now, but prospective employers are probably looking at your Facebook page. More and more companies are sifting through social media sites, looking for clues and information before they'll hire you.

In fact, some are even asking for Facebook user names and passwords to check you out. So it's time to put your best face forward.

Rebecca Lopez is preparing to graduate from the UA this spring. She's already searching for that first job. Rebecca's Facebook page is a piece of that puzzle.


Rebecca told us, "people are almost making it, like, another resume for themselves."

Rebecca said most college seniors are well aware that they have to come ac

"If an employer were to look me up on Facebook and say 'I want to check this girl out a little bit more,' they can see that I'm a serious person but I don't only have that serious side, I do like to have fun and hang out with my friends"ross as mature, yet well-rounded on their social media sites.

But human resource professionals say companies have to be careful sifting through social media so as not to misconstrue what they find. And to make sure they give equal weight to every candidate's information.

Chris Lawson of the Eli Daniel Group in Dallas said, "it actually opens up, unfortunately, a lot of opportunity for discrimination that otherwise wouldn't be, based on their resume and their skill set that would keep them from the interview."


He said companies may have to develop written policies on how they use social media in their interview process, just to keep that process fair and legal.

The News 4 Tucson Investigators received this statement from Facebook:

"We don't think employers should be asking prospective employees to provide their passwords because we don't think it's [the] right the thing to do. While we do not have any immediate plans to take legal action against any specific employers, we look forward to engaging with policy makers and other stakeholders, to help better safeguard the privacy of our users."

1 in 3 companies to increase hiring

Employers in the U.S. have their hopes set on a brighter future in 2012, according to a survey by Right Management.

One in three companies surveyed predicted renewed growth and increased hiring for the rest of the year; while at the same time last year, only one in five U.S. employers reported feeling confident about growth or hiring. The participants in the survey included senior executives at 631 organizations across the U.S., representing the government, non-profit, public and private sectors.

When asked what they expected regarding their workforce needs in 2012, 36% responded that it would be a "year of growth and recovery" marked by new talent development initiatives and increased hiring. While 55% suggested that it would be similar to last year with postponed HR initiatives and slow hiring and 11% believed that the year would be stagnant, with more cutbacks and restructuring.

The findings that developed from the survey are similar to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook, issued March 13. The survey found that U.S. employers were at levels of the highest optimism since prior to the recession and project an increase in hiring of one or two percent.

"Beneath the caution, organizations are becoming more positive about the economy and their own businesses," said Bram Lowsky, group executive vice president Americas of Right Management. "There have been so many 'false positives' in the past two years that most executives temper their enthusiasm until they see consistent, strong data. But the numbers from our study suggest a clear upward trend, especially with respect to hiring." 

(FOX Business)