A large number of technology companies check out potential employees’ profiles on social media sites such as Facebook, according to a survey.

The survey conducted by Eurocom Worldwide, the global PR network, in association with Orient Planet PR and Marketing Communications, has revealed that 38 per cent of technology firms examine social media profiles to determine potential employees’ suitability for a job.

“Job seekers may be happy for their LinkedIn profile to be viewed by a prospective employer but are they comfortable with what’s posted on their Facebook profile,” asked Nidal Abou Zaki, managing director, Orient Planet. “They may be comfortable that their own privacy settings are locked down tight but what about the career suitability and accessibility of photos or other personal information posted on friends’ sites?” 

 “Social media is a great way to network and build career opportunities but it is becoming more difficult to differentiate between your professional and personal persona on the web,” added Abou Zaki.

The survey of over 660 senior level executives in technology companies, which was conducted during January and February 2011, also highlights corporate usage of social media.
Only just over a third (36 per cent) of technology firms have any formal process in place, other than a Google alert, for listening to what is said about their company on the web.

“The first phase of implementing a social media campaign is to listen to and monitor what is being said about your company and its service or product online,” commented Mads Christensen, network director, Eurocom Worldwide. “The majority of firms are either failing to do this or are not doing it in a very rigorous manner.”

There appears to have been no growth in corporate blogging over the last two years with the proportion of technology companies surveyed having a blog remaining flat at around one third. The main reason cited for corporate blogging is to improve interaction with public/customers, followed by raising profile/thought leadership and boosting search engine optimisation (SEO).

The Eurocom Worldwide survey found that the main barriers to corporate blogging are that “it is too time consuming”, cited by 33 per cent, followed by “don’t see the value of it” (29 per cent) and “never thought about it” (18 per cent).

“Such is the value of corporate blogging from a search perspective alone that it is a little surprising that only a third of technology firms do it,” commented Abou Zaki. “However, blogging does require a significant time commitment so companies are better not to do it at all than do it badly or infrequently.”

Despite a mixed reaction to blogging, half (51 per cent) of firms surveyed have a Facebook page, 46 per cent have a corporate Twitter account, 43 per cent are on LinkedIn and just over a third (36 per cent) of companies have a YouTube presence. Of the total, 38 per cent expect to increase their spend on social media over the next 12 months.   

In terms of activity, just over a quarter (26 per cent) of respondents’ companies Tweet daily and just over one in five (21 per cent) update their Facebook page each day.
The Eurocom Worldwide Technology Market Survey 2011 was conducted by the network and its member agencies during January and February 2011, and surveyed 664 senior level executives in technology based businesses across more than 30 countries worldwide. – TradeArabia News Service