If you think just keeping your Facebook page free of drunken photos will help you land a job, think again. A recent study has shown that Facebook posts give clues to how people will perform at work.
Employers screened their Facebook profiles and came up with a “Facebook personality score” based on the “Big 5” personality traits.
Conscientiousness: This is someone who appears to be well organized and hard-working, and that’s reflected in the way they set up their Facebook page. The profile includes a lot of detailed posts and profile, or photos of the person working hard at something.
Emotional stability: Employees look to see that the candidate is a positive thinker. Meaning that the page is lacking negative and down in the dumps posts; and not overly emotional in images or in what is written.
Agreeableness: This is determined by how they interact with other Facebook users. Are they someone who’s able to get along and doesn’t engage in Facebook conflicts, especially heated debates with friends?
Extraversion: Here’s where lots of Facebook friends come in handy because lots of friends is a predictor of extraversion. Also, photos of you in social situations with lots of people are a good thing, compared to pictures of you alone on your couch.
Openness: Travel and intellect play into this category. If you appear open to different experiences and viewpoints, then you’re viewed as open. Posting quotes from classic literature will probably score higher than if you’re dishing about the latest trashy episode of Jersey Shore. And photos of international travel are also a big plus. An evaluation of job performance is given by the supervisors of the hired employees.
After 6 months of working the employee gets evaluated based on their performance.
The Facebook scores were then compared to how the employee’s actual performance.
The higher the Facebook personality score the higher the job performance rating by supervisors. So next time you’re on Facebook, think twice before making a post. Social media sites are becoming a more popular way of screening job candidates. This newfound method of screening potential employees on Facebook to evaluate the “Big 5” personality traits could cost you a job in the future.
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