In the past week, there have been at least three reported cases of people losing their jobs because of something said on social media, one of which happened before the person in question took the job.
The media and social media world has been abuzz the past week about how Paris Brown had to resign from her post as Kent Youth Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), because of tweets sent up to three years before she was appointed.
This was, of course, before the death of Margaret Thatcher grabbed the headlines, which in itself has led to at least one suspension and one resignation, following ‘offensive’ comments.
In the wake of this, The Drum has decided to take a look at social media, and the role it plays both in the recruitment stages and while in a job.
Research from 2012 found that over a fifth (22 per cent) of HR directors check the social media profiles of candidates, while 32 per cent use profiles such as LinkedIn to communicate with candidates.
Farooq Mohammed, co-owner at Digital Gurus, recently told The Drum that LinkedIn was a key tool that recruiters used, and this week Facebook announced that it is set to create a free job posting gateway following a deal agreed between eQuest and Work4.