Study Finds Facebook Photos Not Useful For Judging Prospective Employees

From TIME, "Employers: Facebook Party Pics Don’t Always Reflect Employees’ Bad Judgment" by Maia Szalavitz:

While recent concerns about employers plumbing social media for information about both current and potential employees have led many users to adjust their privacy settings and posting habits, a new study found that college students who posted images of themselves [on Facebook] enjoying a drink or two, or even using drugs were just as responsible and hard-working as those who did not advertise their partying.

"People high in conscientiousness were just as likely to post about chugging beer or doing drugs as someone who was low in conscientiousness," says the study’s lead author William Stoughton, a doctoral candidate at North Carolina State University.

Those who posted drinking and drug images were also more likely to be extraverted than people who didn’t— another trait that many employers find appealing, since it involves being sociable, friendly and enthusiastic, all useful for occupations that require interacting with others.

So by screening out candidates who show drinking and drug use on social media, "You might be throwing out the very people you want," says another of the study’s co-authors Lori Foster Thompson, an associate professor of psychology at North Carolina State.