Employers on the prowl; could be scanning your social media for mental health clues

A study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology uncovered that oversharing on social media has a detrimental effect on how employers perceive applicants in terms of their "emotional stability" and "conscientiousness."

Experts say that potential employers do not get impressed by applicants who openly share their personal challenges online.
Initially conceived as a professional networking platform for white-collar professionals, LinkedIn has transformed in recent years, resembling more of a site for casual flirting and unrestricted oversharing, akin to Facebook, among its younger users.

However, recent research emphasizes the importance of discretion for job seekers. It reveals that prospective employers are closely examining applicants' online profiles and may even assess them for signs of mental health issues.

The research primarily centered around LinkedIn and involved a survey of 409 professionals with a background in hiring, all of whom evaluated the LinkedIn profile of the same job candidate.

In the experiment, one-quarter of the participants encountered a candidate's LinkedIn post discussing anxiety and depression, while the remaining 25% did not encounter such a post.

Another quarter of the participants viewed the LinkedIn profile devoid of any mental health-related content while simultaneously listening to an audio interview. The final 25% of participants observed the LinkedIn post discussing mental health but also heard the interview.

The study participants who saw the LinkedIn post about mental health challenges viewed the job candidate as being less emotionally stable and less conscientious.

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