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Facebook facts that make you look worldly and popular may say more about you to a hiring manager than anything else. Photos of your trip to Bali; status updates on how much you enjoyed reading “War and Peace”; and thousands of Facebook friends apparently translate into a job candidate who will do better on the job.
At least those are the findings of a new study by a trio of universities that looked at how Facebook profiles predict job success.
“We came up with a Facebook personality score and that correlates with job performance,” said Donald Kluemper, a management professor at Northern Illinois University, who, along with researchers at Auburn University and the University of Evansville, conducted the study that appeared in the recent issue of the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
The researchers looked at five personality traits among Facebook users, including conscientiousness, emotional stability, agreeableness, extraversion and openness. The traits are known as the “Big Five” in psychological lingo and are often used in organizational studies, Kluemper said.
The Facebook users, 56 total, were given a personality score by independent evaluators and six months later those ratings were compared to evaluations completed by the supervisors who the users worked for. And guess what? The higher the Facebook personality score the higher the job performance rating by supervisors.
So what gets you a high personality rating exactly?
Here’s how Kluemper broke it down:
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. Maybe there are a lot of detailed posts and profile, or photos of the person working hard at something.
Emotional stability: You seem to be someone who looks at the glass as half full, and seem able to handle stress. That means your page is lacking lots of negative and down in the dumps type posts; and you’re not overly emotional in images or in what you write.
Agreeableness: This is all about 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. If you’re posting stuff about classic literature you’ll probably score higher than if you’re dishing about the latest trashy novel. And photos of international travel are also a big plus.
Based on this research, scoring high in all these categories means you’re more likely to be an ideal employee. That kind of predictor would probably make any hiring manager salivate, especially in today’s tough job market where they have to weed through thousands of applicants.
Kluemper is not advocating that HR use his groundbreaking social-media research just yet. “This is one study and the sample size is not that large,” he explained. “A lot more studies need to be done.”
But, he admitted some ill-advised HR folks may try and hang their hats on this one study, and that worries him because using such personality tests could be on sketchy legal grounds.
Indeed, personality tests and a host of other pre-employment screenings, including everything from criminal to credit background checks, have come under fire when used in the hiring process because of privacy issues and also because some impact certain groups adversely. Social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn have even made the problem biggerbecause so much information is now available online that the job seekers themselves put out there.
“We’re not advocating employers use this technique,” Kluemper said about the Facebook ratings.
Unfortunately, it may be hard to put the Facebook personality cat back in the hiring bag.
And speaking about cats, if you want to put those adorable videos of kittens on your Facebook page - a popular pastime for many users - keep in mind what you may be projecting into cyber space.
Research by University of Texas at Austin psychologist Sam Gosling found that "dog people are more extraverted, more agreeable and more conscientious than self-described cat people."
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typo "You're trip to Bali" -- really?
Lack of a Facebook profile is almost a 100% guarantee of success.
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Yes, yes, aren't you just so smart. You found a typo. Congratulations.
US1776 is right. Having a fb page or twitter account may hinder more than help. How many articles have we read now about someone getting into trouble over something they posted? If you're looking for a job, why take the risk.
No surprise on the dog-vs-cat-people bit. I've always said I trust no man who doesn't love dogs and who isn't a momma's boy. Not to cherish such unconditional love as that of a dog and/or a mom is a sign of shadiness and a penchant for backstabbing.
Dog lovers love them just as much for their loyalty and reciprocated love as they do for their neediness. A dog lover has an outgoing, nurturing nature, and they're far more likely to bend over backwards to help their fellow man. They get fulfillment by being there for those in need.
Cat lovers (at least ones that dislike dogs while they're at it), on the other hand, enjoy cats for their lack of maintenance. They want to be able to say they have a pet, but they don't want to actually have to take care of one. They basically want glory without having to have any of the guts. This tends to point to a penchant for taking credit for other people's accomplishments. A cat takes care of itself, and a cat lover gets hailed as an animal lover just 'cause he happens to allow it to hang around. This particular trait makes cat lovers quite untrustworthy.
Oh, and even if you have a FB page full of all kinds of stuff that you wouldn't want a potential employer to see, just deactivate your account while job-hunting. You won't show up in any searches for you, your page will cease to exist as far as anyone else is concerned, and the chances that they'll be able to track you down on other people's pages are slim to none. And, even if they did, your picture will no longer be visible on any of your posts on those other pages, and I doubt anyone's going to want to risk a lawsuit over blackballing you without proof you're actually the person they're blackballing. ;)
Seriously? How many people do you know who put their actual photo on fb or twitter? How do prospective employers connect the dots anyway? I know a lot of people who don't even use their real names. If I were an employer who uses fb or twitter to rate a prospective employee, I might want to consider at least one or two other sources!
All these employers gathering information from Facebook lately makes me wonder: Since Facebook didn't exist the last time I looked for work, were there hiring managers pulling my address from my resume, coming to my house while I slept and going through my garbage so they could better judge my character and work ethic? While it's basically the same thing, I doubt it - that would actually involve leg work rather than sitting in their office playing with facebook (with a business-related excuse). If you really feel you need to resort to going to my facebook page to see if there's any dirt to be dug up, I really wouldn't work for you.
@L.J. Rhodes, you're right, cats require zero care and we cat owners do nothing. My cats can get their own food and water, clean their own litter boxes, vacuum up their own hair, know when they get sick and drive themselves to the vet, and have jobs to pay for their food and vet bills. There's really nothing to it. As for Facebook, set your page to private and/or use a different e-mail address for resumes and your FB account so they can't search for it. No brainer.
Wow, glad to know my profile pretty much fulfills all of these things (and I do love my dear dog the best). With the exception of international travel - but pictures from travel all over the country. I'm job hunting, heck I hope they check me out on fb :)
@L.J. Rhodes also wears a tinfoil hat to protect her from cat mind-control.
And if employers rely on input from Facebook, they will primarily end up with schmoozing BSers for employees.
If my page is set to private, Friends only, how can a potential employer even see my profile???
Number 1, "Consciousness:"
In my experience, most managers prefer that their employees are conscious.
I think this study is majorly flawed and only points out what most in the business world have known for a long time. Agreeable, popular, suck ups score better on corporate evaluations. These evaluations, like many others, are more about popularity than job performance. Unless a person is in a job where there are some solid objective measures to use in doing the evaluations, the evaluations are more about perceptions and popularity than any real ability or acumen for the work. This is what drives the Peter Principle where these types are promoted to their level of incompetence. They then crash when it is finally revealed that they do not have a clue and can't do the job, only having gotten to their position on personality, not ability.
This is just one more reason to add to my long list as to why I neither have nor want a Facebook account. If people's fitness for jobs is going to be judged by a Facebook profile, we have really sunk to a new low as a society.
Ironically, the word is 'conscientiousness'...aherm.
Mossyflicka: buahhahaha funny!
BTW, it's "ahem" and not "aherm" lol
This article confirms my belief that I need to always keep my FB profile either private or lie like hell on my FB page and make random friends who I will never ever meet in life.
Who hasn't made their facebook page private yet? Considering the well-publicized horror stories that are out there I though that this was Job Search 101.
If you aren't using facebook as a professional tool, and can't spend 3 minutes to learn and implement privacy settings, you probably aren't a good candidate for the job anyway.
Ed, you'd be surprised as to how many people who choose to leave their FB public in all aspects. Some people are just very open I guess. I am so private that I don't even have friends on my FB lol...I just have an account to stalk people, you know, those who leave their FB completely vulnerable.
Or you could just not have a facebook account. I maintain a linkedin for my job and keep personal stuff offline.
It's not "Extraversion" morons, it's "Extroversion".
<
Am I successful yet?
According to one of my facebook friends, "google", the two words are interchangeable.
<<It's not "Extraversion" morons, it's "Extroversion".>>
I don't think Jung was a moron.
From what I've observed at my workplace, introverted people are generally much more conscientious in performing their jobs, while extroverted people are less so. The extroverts are also much more likely to waste a good portion of their workday talking to their thousands of friends on Facebook.
This was all I needed to hear to finally take the step to cancel my Facebook account.
It is morally nihilistic and encourages narcissists.
I will stick with good old e-mail or a phone call.
Turning away from learning from and using new technology. That will get you far in the career world.
"Social networking" should have nothing to do with the career world, unless you plan to work for Facebook or something. I avoided FB quite a while and still barely use it for anything. It's a terrible technology for anyone who cares in the slightest about privacy. Any system where a "friend" can send you unwanted "game" messages where if you try to see what the hell it's about you get a message "if you do this, this application will have access to all of your information" is just ridiculous. No wonder ID theft is rampant when all your personal data is out there for the picking.
Idaho, there are infinite types of "technology."
Facebook is not "technology," it is a site that uses its users who exploit themselves, often indignantly, for the commercial gain of whatever Facebook really is.
If you think that Facebook is the only way to advance your career, methinks you need to leave your apartment more often.
Facebook is "technology". If you think "technology" only refers to physical entities that you can touch, then maybe you need to rethink that liberal arts degree of yours.
Here's a thought. Maintain professionalism and keep personal stuff where your employer won't find it. I maintain a LinkedIn which shows me competent in the new fangled technology kids these days use while simultaneously keeping myself looking professional.
Also deleting your account doesn't delete your account. Facebook remembers everything!
Sorry to burst your bubble dude, but there are PLENTY of careers which involve social networking.
Tons of small businesses use Facebook to promote themselves.
In fact, here are examples in how I use it just for work:
I work in theatre, and theatre people have this nasty habit of never staying too long in the same state. The theatres I work at always have facebook fan pages. Not only that, but keeping in touch with the 100 people I worked with last summer is much easier with Facebook. If I need a job this summer, I'm not going to call each and every one of them individually. I'm going to send them all a message all at once to see if any of them have heard of something or if they have an opening. Also, major companies in theatre equipment keep facebook pages, and the quickest way to see their newest products or contact them, is there.
People dont realize that just because you don't personally use it, it doesn't mean its not useful. Just sayin.
No, Facebook is an overgrown IM with a junkload of time-wasting, frivolity and data-mining tacked on.
Facebook is as useless as the narcissistic twerps who dwell therein.
Well it's your choice to use FB as your job search tool. Which is perfectly reasonable if you're fully aware of the risks vs benefits of making that choice. However the whole point of Facebook is to make it as easy and pervasive as possible which means trying to maintain privacy or security is pretty much an afterthought, and most users haven't the slightest clue what risks they're taking when they make "choices" about their Facebook use.
I stand by my statement. My Facebook presence should never be a factor in my ability to get a professional job. Period.
It shouldn't, but it does. I agree that if you don't want FB (or Twitter, or Google+, or any the social networking sites) playing a role in future job hunting, then you should either not have it or learn to the privacy setting and not mix business contacts with friend contacts (or just think of Facebook as what it is, a public wall of information upon which you post your thoughts and life for all to see --- even if you've set it to friends only, your friends can share what you say online and off... people still talk to each other). Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you play the game, many employers are starting to check out people's social network footprint when screening applicants. At my last job, my boss admitted to searching for my profiles to see what I was like before my interview. I only had one public profile at the time and was conscientious as to what I posted there for that very reason. She actually told me that if I hadn't been online, she wouldn't have called me in for an interview -- she was looking for people who knew the social media world to help create a presence for her organization online... that wasn't in the job description, it was just planning ahead on her part. There are some who feel this is a violation of privacy, or a mix of professional and private life, but is this so different than new friends, interested romantic partners, or old elementary school friends screening us on the personal side of things. People are curious (especially new employers who are going to see you more hours a week than those friends and family) and in an age of instant information (thank you Google and Wikipedia), why would they wait for the interview to fully judge a person? We're already screened by our resumes and cover letters, not to mention how well we dress at the interview, our height, our handshake, our vernacular, the cadence of our voice, how we interact with the receptionist, etc (I'm not saying this is fair, just pointing out that pre-screening has existed for centuries... it's simply evolving). Whether it is blatant or subtle, employers size us up from the first moment we enter into their awareness. When all else fails, they can call around and try to find out what you're like through references and the word on the street. Resumes have always been that thing that had to be perfect -- but reputation has always been equally important. If reputation comes from how you present yourself and how your peers perceive you, I'd argue that such a thing is no longer limited to the offline world. It doesn't help that more and more people are profiling us through Facebook, etc., after a chance encounter or new friendship blooms. No longer do we need to sit for hours, weeks, months, or years to truly get to know anyone -- we simply become Facebook friends, hit up our timelines, and take in the last few years of another person's life in an afternoon... without them even being there to share it with you. This behavior is simply bleeding over into the professional world as the norms of the offline world create and solidify online counterparts. Technology like Facebook is forever changing how we interact, meet, communicate, and unfortunately, it's also changing how we judge. Honestly, though, if my future boss doesn't like my Facebook profile, then they're probably not going to like me. For the record, my Facebook profile is 90% private, open only to my friends. The other 10% are public posts that are professional in nature and/or link to my twitter account. I don't friend bosses, period, and don't friend co-workers unless I am actually good friend friends with them offline. It's a brave new world for us all and we each have our own ways of navigating it. You're right Stephen, most people aren't aware of how their profiles can affect their offline world -- they should have orientation meetings about it in college (well, high school now... as I expect social profiling to begin playing a role in college admissions in the next decade) -- many do however because whether we like it or not, social profiling is rapidly becoming the way of things.
Translation: Be boring, but bling up your profile enough to hide it.
I specifically cut out a lot on facebook after reading about companies firing people for photos or posts. Seems like as long as you socially engineer your profile page you're bound to be 1 up over the other guy/gal when job hunting.
Hmm, new job line - facebook social engineer or facebook manager.
Anyone foolish enough to continue using Facebook deserves what they have comin'.... public embarrassment, privacy intrusions and trouble finding a job.
it IS possible to set your page to "Private." why so many people don't is a mystery to me.
Ms. Hoo: There's absolutely no such thing as a true privacy setting to your page... employers, law enforcement and many others can and do invade your Facebook Account routinely without your knowledge. Hackers easily extract any personal information available in addition.
Not everyone is applying to the CIA or JPMorgan, I sincerely doubt hiring managers acquire the tools or spend the time to snoop this hard. They certainly search for information on candidates generally, and facebook is a great resource for that, but aren't taking the extra steps you're describing.
Someone's paranoid.
Fact: Facebook does not give special "administrative privileges" to employers and law enforcement so that they can override your privacy settings.
Ed: It's amazing the digital trail everyone creates using the internet. I could careless about anyone prying into my digital information, but I am displeased at the abuse of power by some who just wish to go on a witch hunt so to speak.... Facebook isn't the only problem in my opinion....
Ryan: The powers that be don't need permission from Facebook.... No paranoia here... Facebook is monitored on a continual basis regardless of the so called privacy setting(s)
You're right, Facebook is monitored continuously, by Facebook. Nobody else. Regular businesses like Joe Schmo Incorporated don't have the ability to bypass those settings. Sorry to break it to you.
Also, stop liking your own posts.
Ryan: You're incorrect about the monitoring of Facebook and that's okay with me. I honestly could careless about your observations, so I will leave the Facebooking to you. thumbs up little buddy!
Ryan,
Think your account can't get hacked? Think it has never ever been archived anywhere by third parties?
Fed Up,
While it's true that some silly teenagers and even some adults use facebook just for dumb posts, there are people who benefit greatly from it. For example, my husband is in the military. We moved 800 miles away from our home, friends, and family. Of course we've made friends where we are, and of course we still call and e-mail people. But it's REALLY nice to go to one website and catch up with many friends and relatives at once. Also, as my husband is currently deployed, we wouldn't be able to converse every day without the facebook messages.
For people with close contact to most of the people they chat with anyway, it might be a little pointless. But for those of us far from home, it's nice to feel connected.
Alliecea: I don't disagree with your post, but I will try to recommend switching to Skype. Not a fan of Facebook because of the hold it seems to have on those who abuse it like a drug.Thumbs up to you for your kind thoughts and information on Facebook.
FedUp, we use skype, but sometimes it doesn't deliver messages until WAY after they're sent and there are other issues like that. Facebook's a little more reliable. Plus, it's good for keeping up with EVERYONE instead of a couple people. And Thanks :)
Allielcea: Understood. God bless you and yours, and I hope your husband comes home A.S.A.P! I am tired of war(s).
Thanks! And right back at you!
LOL @ Pragmatic. You really think employers waste their time hacking people's Facebooks just to see if they have any naughty pictures on it? Most employers probably don't even have anybody with the skills to hack anything.
Fact: if you're not a complete computer n00b, your Facebook isn't going to be hacked. If you're not an idiot and don't click on Facebook links like "OMG! Click here to see what this father did to his daughter!", then you'll be fine. If you are one of those people that clicks those links, you shouldn't be allowed to own technology.
You are absolutely correct that Facebook is not the problem.. the problem is job candidates' inability to manage their information on the internet; whether be it through privacy settings or simply not putting certain information out there. Facebook, in particular, gives you all of the necessary tools in order to do manage your information. There is no abuse of power happening here, since public information is just that. Side note: you "couldn't" care less, as in: you don't care. If you "could" care less, then you imply that you do care. I normally wouldn't nitpick on this, but you've referenced this turn of phrase incorrectly in multiple posts in secession.
The media love FB because they can generate content from it quickly wo paying real reporters and write in depth stories. U can stick to your bangwagon.
More facebook friends indicates extroversion? Seems to indicate more time on facebook to me.
Let's face it, extroverted people tend to have more friends in shear numbers while introverted people tend to have fewer friends but I think overall, both categories have similar number of best friends or close friends.
I have 200 friends. I don't talk to any one of them; they're mostly just elementary school, h/s, college, and grad school buddies. Old friendships that have died.
I don't get it. How are they still able to view my facebook profile? It's on the most paranoid privacy setting possible! Even all my posts are set to "Me only!" Do employers have some kind of super account that lets them see everyone or something?
hahaha....It's so cute you think that so I'll just let you be paranoid for a bit longer.
They do not have special admin privileges. If your account is private, then it's private to everyone but Facebook itself. People telling you differently are just paranoid anti-social networking people.
Facebook? Do real men really log into that crap?
Of course because real men like hot women, no?
I mean, not to discount it or anything, but it's only an ingrained part of the social culture of an entire generation of the modern world.
there's a simple solution to getting a job fairly w/out the employer looking at your facebook, set your privacy to "friends only" then they cant make their decision to hire you based on what your facebook page says,& not EVERYBODY has a facebook page anyways.
Give me a break! If an HR decision maker reads this, they WILL use it.
Thats one of the main reasons i dont use my facebook page anymore. People with nothing better to do are mining data on you and your tendencies
Any employer who needs fbook to justify their hiring is just not worth working for. If you cant figure out your candidate from the interview and expect fbook to hand it to you you probably have no idea how to run your business and you will not last long anyway in whatever you do, again not worth working for.
Maybe they are smarter than you think. They check facebook BEFORE offering a interview so as to not waste their time.
The author of this article must have some really proud parents. Is this what "journalism" has been reduced to? People who travel and read might be considered better employees than people who post on facebook about getting drunk and watching American Idol. Go figure.
One thing that employers should look for is WHEN people post to their profiles. Are they doing it during the workday on a regular basis? If so, they would most likely NOT be a good employee.
I have a number of co-workers who spend a lot of time on Facebook during the workday. They are always behind on their work. These people may be extroverts, but they don't really measure up.
Me, I quit Facebook 1-1/2 years ago. I don't miss it a bit. And those of you who use Facebook, you should be questioning why a Russian interest has such a large stake in financing Facebook.
Know what else should be a red flag? People that narc off their workmates to make themselves look good. If you think your teammates should be doing something more productive, become the go to person and an inspiration.
What makes you think that I "narc" on my coworkers? You must be one of those habitual workplace Facebooker in his/her 20's who thinks he/she knows everything. (See, I can make unfounded assumptions about you too!)
It's about productivity and personal integrity. A full day's work for a full day's pay. Thanks, but I don't need your career advice.
Yup, you are the cube narc and probably undermine authority too.
No, I'm the person that gets to travel all of the time, work on the best projects, and have seen a lot of the world on my company's dime because I am highly competent, trustworthy and productive. I also have a private office with a great view. Because of my track record and trustworthiness, I have very little direct supervision. Grow up, and learn what is valuable to employers. Nobody owes you a job, and the more valuable you can make yourself, the greater the pay and the perks.
Interesting, what do you do?
And you think someone has to narc. IT tracks all this and all a manager does is have to ask. Working for IT I get to see this all the time. Huge amount of time is wasted during work hours on facebook. We have seen whole floors of people who all play farmville at work managers included.
Still most companies tolerate this to a extent since in "theory" it increase productivity.
Have never had a job where I had enough idle time to sit around facebooking. John, why not just block those sites?
Facebook isn't a resume, it is online entertainment or (BS). Simply go into your account and change your privacy settings from public to private. I love having the freedom to be creative, controversial, wrong, right, sexual, angry, happy etc... on Facebook, all the things that get suppressed at the workplace. Creative expression is only dangerous if we allow the powers that be to censor it.
It is not possible to have thousands of true "friends." I wish Facebook would call them 'acquaintances', and stop diluting such an essential human relationship. Also, cats are cool, and take a lot of time and attention. Being a cat lover means you are willing to work at relationships, and don't expect others to love you in a needy way.
On FB, you are only allowed to have 200 friends on your news feed. Many people with more than 200 people as friends are "collectors" not true friends. It kind of reminds me of the high school yearbook experience. The more signatures and personal notes, the seemingly more popular and well liked you are.
Cats rock! I love mine.
The lack of having a Facebook account, which is not only juvenile but exposes a person to all sorts of problem, predicts ultimate success
Better yet, keep your profile friends only. I never use my real Facebook profile to comment on news articles, either. I don't care to lose a job for daring to post an opinion that my manager might disagree with. Too much of that goes on these days.
They've spelled "extrovert" wrong throughout the article.
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It doesn't matter how wonderful you are... your employer will replace you at the earliest opportunity with someone in India who works for 1/3 as much as you earn, and whose QA will be "impeccable".
Your boss is just counting the minutes until he can get rid of you and get your Indian replacement into your position.
So you may as well write what you want in Facebook!