In today's digital world of recruiting, there are many different tools available for both employers and job seekers. Many applications premium entry level jobs and paid internships are now created and processed through company's websites and email accounts – all but eliminating the traditional paper resume and cover letter. Beyond this, social media sites have become great resources for recruiters looking to gain a unique perspective on potential employees. However, with all the information online, it can be difficult to know exactly how to read a candidate's social media presence. Here are some tips to get started.

Frequency
One thing to beware of when scouring the internet is a false positive on social media presence. Upon graduation, many job seekers hear that employers actually do investigate whether candidates play an active role online. As a result, these college grads often immediately sign up for Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Facebook and other sites overnight. Make sure you check for how long people have been members of a social networking site, how often they post and what sort of content they have displayed interest in. A candidate who recently signed up to impress hiring managers is likely to have a bare-bones profile.

Content
Just because you find a candidate with an active online presence doesn't mean they're exhibiting the social media qualities you're looking for. Even if a person has been using Twitter and Facebook for years, that doesn't count for much when all their activity has centered on celebrity gossip and posting pictures from weekend parties. A good candidate will have a nice mix of news and educational material on their profiles.

Friends
While it's not a guarantee, the number of friends someone has online can actually be a good indication of how personable they are in real life. However, you should beware of anyone with more than 200 or so friends – most of them are probably people they don't know.


Reproduced from http://www.experience.com/entry-level-jobs/employers/tips-for-recruiters-scanning-candidates-social-media-accounts/