Social
media has changed how our world operates, and it would be ignorant to
think that it wouldn't also change the hiring landscape. But as we enter
this new era, the rules for how to use social media when vetting an
employee have not yet been defined. And the risks that exist when
searching those social media sites are big enough to warrant exercising
extreme caution before using this as a hiring tool.
That
is not to say that applicants shouldn't still be careful about what
they put online, because hiring managers are most certainly still
looking - but here are a few reasons why you might want to stop:
Discriminatory Information: You
can find out a lot about a person online that you would never be able
to ask about on an application. Things like religious affiliations,
sexual orientation and race. Unfortunately, there are certainly still
hiring managers today who take those factors into consideration - even
when doing so is illegal. So if you view an applicants social media
networks and then opt not to hire them, you had better be prepared to
defend that decision. If the applicant later makes a claim of
discrimination and it is discovered that you were able to glean certain
information from their online profiles - you could be in trouble.
Applicant Notification: To
bypass this, some companies will hire third party sources to run
background checks on applicant's social media profiles. In this way,
they can be supplied with only applicable information and they avoid the
risk of getting in trouble for discriminatory decision-making.
Unfortunately, when choosing to go this route you have to first inform
applicants you will be completing such screening. By doing so, you give
those applicants the chance to lock down all of their information, and
you also give the impression that you are not a trusting employer to
work for. The results may very likely backfire on you.
Incomplete Pictures: Let's
not forget that social media, while an enjoyable tool, is not
necessarily the best way to get to know a person. When reviewing social
media accounts, you could be looking at information that hasn't been
updated in years and is no longer an accurate representation of the
applicant you are looking into. Or you could be making snap judgments
based on small details of a much larger story. In essence, you could be
bypassing quality candidates based on an incomplete picture of who they
are.
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