RESIST THE URGE TO RESEARCH APPLICANTS ON FACEBOOK

With everyone on Facebook, it’s tempting for employers to research potential hires online. But according to recent findings, information found on social networks may just be distracting employers from making the right decision. In unpublished research conducted by Paige Deckert at the University of Illinois, subjects saw resumes for three fake job applicants, one of whom was objectively the most qualified for the job. Some subjects also saw the applicants’ Facebook pages. Then they decided whom they’d hire.

Two-thirds of participants who saw only the resumes made the correct call, but those who saw the online profiles got it right only half the time. Deckert credits poor performance to the dilution effect: Having irrelevant data on hand – even if they don’t include drunken party pictures – distracts us from the essential facts. Unfortunately, we tend to think more information is always better, and we’re more confident in our decisions when we have it. Maybe that’s why 45% of employers research candidates on social networks, according to a 2009 survey by CarreerBuilder.com.

RESIST THE URGE TO RESEARCH APPLICANTS ON FACEBOOK

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