34% of employers reprimanded, fired people over online content

34% of employers reprimanded, fired people over online content34% of employers reprimanded, fired people over online contentGetting busted for inappropriate social media posts is elendhing new, but its certainly still relevant across industries.Take filmmaker James Gunn, who Disney fired while was working on the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, due to old tweets joking about controversial topics such as pedophilia and rape that recently came to light again,according to The Hollywood Reporter.Gunn has since apologized, but hisfiring reportedly caused an upheaval among the cast members who dont think Disney made the right move for a variety of reasons.Deadline reportedyesterday that Gunn may be brought back on the project, according to sources.A similar PR crisis also bubbled over at The New York Times recently, where writer Sarah Jeong was brought onto the editorial board. However, after old tweets surfaced, both she and the publication released explanatory statements. She has not been fired from the position.All of this is why it isnt surprising thatrecent data from CareerBuilder shows that34% of companies saw something on the internet that made them reprimand or fire an employee.But when companies look up job applicants online beforehand, the top thing they look for is information that supports their qualifications for the job at 58%. What for theyre looking for the least is a reason not to hire at 22%.The Harris Poll surveyed 1,012 American hiring and human resource managers who are working full-time, but not for the government or themselves, for CareerBuilder.Social media decisions that have helped job applicants score positionsThe most popular thing these managers found on social media that made them employ a candidate was that their background information supported their professional qualifications for the job at 37%.Here are just a few of the other positive things job applicants did online having a website that conveyed a professional image at 33%, sh owing off their great communications skills at 28%, and having great references from others at 23%. The least popular response was that they saw that the applicant had a large number of followers or subscribers at 18%.But while 70% of companies say they look up job candidates on social media, 57% in that swimming-pool saw something that made them chuck an application in the rejection pile.What employers dont like about candidates social media accountsHere are some of the reasons why applicants got rejected for jobs.The most popular one was provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information at 40%.Thirty-six percent saw something related to alcohol or using drugs, and 31% saw discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc. at 31%.Twenty-seven percent also caught candidates in a lie about their credentials, and 22% said that their screen name was unprofessional. Twenty percent saw that the applicant had shared confidential information from places they used to work. The least popular reason was that the applicant posted too frequently at 12%.While you should be careful about what you post online for a variety of reasons, its also important to be on social media in the first place 47% of companies reported that if they cant find a job candidate online, they are less likely to call that person in for an interview.