Is Your Social Media Content Hurting Your Chances of Getting Hired?

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) — Job seekers know that first impressions count, but many hiring managers who use social media to check out prospective employees say they get their first impression well before the face-to-face interview, and very often, it’s a negative one.

A new survey by CareerBuilder.com reveals 37 percent of companies use social networking sites to check out job seekers.  Out of that total, 34 percent of hiring managers say they have found information that caused them not to hire a candidate.  That content ranges from evidence of inappropriate behavior to information that contradicted the individual’s listed qualifications.

Here’s a rundown of the top negative findings, along with the percentage of hiring managers who have come across them:

— Candidate posted provocative/inappropriate photos/info, 49 percent.
— There was information about candidate drinking or using drugs, 45 percent.
— Candidate had poor communication skills, 35 percent.
— Candidate bad-mouthed previous employer, 33 percent.
— Candidate made discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc., 28 percent.
— Candidate lied about qualifications, 22 percent.

On the flip side, 29 percent of hiring managers say they have found something via social media that has caused them to hire a candidate.  They cited content that showed them the following:

— Good feel for candidate’s personality, 58 percent.
— Conveyed a professional image, 55 percent.
— Background information supported professional qualifications, 54 percent.
— Well-rounded, showed a wide range of interests, 51 percent.
— Great communication skills, 49 percent.
— Candidate was creative, 44 percent
— Other people posted great references about the candidate, 34 percent.

The CareerBuilder survey of 2,303 hiring managers and human resource professionals was conducted by Harris Interactive.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio