UK professionals are turning their backs on social media when applying for jobs, according to a survey by recruitment solutions provider hyphen. 

The poll of 1,000 workers shows that the number of professionals that use social media to apply for a new role has halved since last year. Only one in 20 (4.4%) are making regular applications for jobs through digital channels in 2013, compared to one in 10 (9.1%) last year. 

In addition, 24% say that even if they did apply for a new role through social media, they believe that their application would not be taken seriously. Last year, only 14% expressed this view.  

 However, graduates are now more likely to apply for jobs using social media than last year, with one in 14 (7.7%) young professionals regularly making applications for jobs through digital channels – compared to just 3.1% last year. 

Commenting on the survey, Zain Wadee, managing director at hyphen, says: “With fewer professionals using social media to apply for jobs purely because they do not think their approach will be taken seriously, or because it could be deemed unprofessional, firms that wish to engage with talent on social channels need to find ways of overhauling their employer brand or methods of engagement to get up to speed with new methods of communication.”