Most employers sceptical of information on social media

Most employers sceptical of information on social media
PHOTO: Most employers sceptical of information on social media

SINGAPORE - Despite the increasing use of social media sites for job recruitment and social connectivity, up to 75 per cent of employers in Singapore remain sceptical about the truthfulness of information put online by potential employees.

A study by Robert Half  revealed that 75 per cent of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and finance directors in Singapore question the trustworthiness of the information presented by individuals on social networking sites for professionals.

Of the total number of respondents, nine per cent said they would never trust information put online by potential job candidates.

According to the survey, 82 per cent of Singapore respondents considered information from directly received resumes to be more trustworthy than online profiles.

Hong Kong employers seemed to agree, with 85 per cent indicating that a resume is more legitimate than an online profile.

As much as 47 per cent of employers felt that there was a lack of systems to check skills and experiences listed online. This is followed by the relative anonymity of social media (22 per cent) and the opportunity to exaggerate experience or skills (21 per cent).

"The reasons many employers have doubts about the reliability of a potential job candidate's online profile have more to do with the nature of the internet rather than the integrity of the candidates," said Ms Stella Tang, Director of Robert Half Singapore.

"Employers can gain useful insight into a candidate through social networking sites, but they should also look beyond social media to assess and evaluate the value of this information, such as speaking to previous employers or working with a recruitment specialist who undertakes the necessary screening prior to putting forward a candidate," she added.

The study also found that employers were most concerned about the following information on social media:

  1. Experience (57 per cent)
  2. Education background (43 per cent)
  3. Updated profile information (40 per cent)

ljessica@sph.com.sg

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