Top 4 Guidelines for Using Social Media to Research Job Candidates
According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder, 43 percent of employers used social media in 2014 to research job candidates. Of that 43 percent, 51 percent of those employers found content which caused them not to hire the candidate.
We agree that social media—whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or some other site—can offer valuable insight on a job candidate. Used properly in your hiring process, social media can be a tool to screen for candidates you want/don’t want in your organization. We recommend the following guidelines:
1) Screenshot and document
If you see negative content that causes you to think twice about hiring someone, take a screenshot of it and document why it influenced you. That way, if there is any challenge to your decision, you have evidence on-hand and don’t risk the post being deleted by the candidate. Some examples of negative social media content include:
Candidate posted inappropriate photographs
Candidate posted negatively about previous company or employees
Candidate posted about their own drinking or drug use.
Candidate posted using poor communication skills.
2) Don’t ask for passwords.
This comes across as a violation of personal privacy for a candidate, and you risk turning off an otherwise great employee to your company. Plus, there are a number of states where it’s against the law for a potential employer to ask for a social media password, and you risk violating the federal Stored Communications Act.
Along these lines, if your job candidate has taken measures to protect their privacy when it comes to sharing social media content and only share content with close friends and family, you may want to consider this a responsible action that could be commended in today’s oversharing culture.
3) Wait until after the interview
If your candidate is a part of a protected group, you may not learn about it until the interview takes place and you are face-to-face. However, looking on social media before you set up an interview can tell you ahead of time whether or not your candidate belongs to one of those protected groups. If that’s the case, you run the risk of being accused of discrimination if you decide not to call that person for an interview. It’s best to wait until after the interview has taken place.
4) Disregard rumors
The Internet can be a vicious place sometimes, and social media is no different. If other people are posting negative things about the candidate, do not take those into consideration. You don’t know the whole story behind why someone is posting negative things about your candidate, and it’s best not to take the word of a stranger.
The use of social media is something that will continue to grow in the foreseeable future, so implementing it into your hiring process makes sense. Just be sure you’re covering all your bases before you use it. For other best practices and help with hiring the right candidate, turn to Skywalk Group.