Job request? Rejected!

A recent study has shown that one in every ten young people has been rejected by a recruiter because of their profile in social media. Moreover, two thirds of those interviewed do not worry that their profiles might damage their job search and refuse to change or modify the information published about them in social media.

The research, conducted by Young People´s Consumer Confidence (YPCC), involved the analysis of 6,000 people between 16 and 34 years old in six different countries to evaluate the impact that the media have on their professional careers. It is more and more frequent for the companies to screen the social media profiles of the candidates applying for a specific job.

Many times it may lead against the potential candidates since that, especially after analyzing the photos, the companies reject their application. The research shows that young people are more eager to create and modify their profiles in order to be liked by their peers than in order to make it a basis for future employment. A better education about the social media effects is needed to guarantee that young people do not worsen their employability. It is surprising that still young people continue to be confident.

In China and Nigeria the confidence levels are highest, followed by those in Brazil and India. The developing markets´ confidence is triggered by their optimisms regarding the future employment perspectives. 88% of subjects included in the study are convinced that they will receive a better education than their parents, in comparison to their peers in countries with developed markets, who are of the same opinion in only 64% of the cases.

89% of young people in countries with less developed markets show more optimism than their parents when it comes to the expected salary levels, in comparison to their peers coming from a more developed background (60%). In general, the study shows that young people are optimistic about their professional future, although the companies might reject them basing their decision on the candidates´ social media profiles. It does not seem to be worrying for the latter and only one third of them would be willing to do something to change that.