Social media background checks are becoming more commonplace in the hiring process. However, recruiters must be careful when using them to avoid violating equal employment laws. It is illegal to exclude candidates based on their religion, sex, age, or national origin, and searching applicants’ social media can violate privacy laws. It’s best to focus on publicly available information and use a screening company that redacts protected class data.
Do’s
Social media employment screening is a growing practice among employers. These searches can reveal important information to help you make hiring decisions. They can also be a good way to get a feel for a candidate’s personality and work ethic before you meet them. However, doing these checks is important to avoid any legal issues.
One of the biggest errors recruiters may make while performing these checks is allowing personal prejudices to affect their judgment. They may not realize it, but if they start ruling out candidates for age, gender, disability or religion, this could be seen as discrimination and cause serious compliance issues. A specialist provider who can conduct these searches with strict guidelines is best.
It’s also important to remember that social media profiles are only a small part of someone’s life and don’t necessarily reflect their true character or behavior in real-life. It is crucial to respect applicants’ privacy and check profiles relevant to the role. Another thing to avoid is asking for a candidate’s passwords or access to their private accounts. Doing this can be a breach of data protection laws and potentially illegal. It’s best to only look at public pages or use social media background searches service with secure links to view the data.
Know Your Limits
Social media screening is only one tool in an HR professional’s pre-screening arsenal. To learn more about a candidate, you may also consider conducting a criminal background check or reference checks. It can give you the whole picture of potential hires and help to avoid costly hiring mistakes. It is important to know your limits when conducting a social media background check, as certain information that appears on an applicant’s social media profile can violate privacy laws. Employers can run into trouble if they start ruling out candidates based on protected characteristics like age, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability. It is because the law prohibits discrimination on these grounds. If the information were obtained during a social media background check, it would be difficult to argue that this was done without violating the law.
The best way to avoid accidentally violating privacy laws is to limit your search to the candidate’s professional life rather than their private life. For example, you can look for a candidate’s volunteering efforts or other socially responsible activities. Still, you should not search their social media for details of an illness they or a family member may have, nor should you spy on them while they are at home with their children or friends. Using a reputable service with specialized software that focuses only on business-related information and can redact or hide protected characteristics to comply with the law is also a good idea.
Related: The Benefits of Hiring a Presentation Design Company
Don’ts
Social media screening is a valuable addition to recruitment but comes with risks. When a recruiter dashes into an applicant’s social media account and starts scanning, they may end up seeing information that is not relevant or, in fact, illegal. Having an expert service take care of these checks can eliminate the risk of accidentally infringing on an employee’s privacy and ensure that any information passed on to the business is accurate. The most common problems arise when a company needs legal guidance to conduct these searches. It is important to have an authorization release form that discloses the purpose of the check and allows the company to perform it legally.
Another problem that occurs is when recruiters begin to look at private information, rather than public information, during these screenings. It could include pictures of an applicant in a compromising situation, comments about their current or past employer that are not work-related, or other activity that goes against the company’s values. Finally, recruiters should not use social media to rule out candidates based on their age, disability, gender reassignment or race – this is illegal in most states, and it can lead to discrimination lawsuits. A better way to avoid these issues is to keep a clear checklist relevant to your hiring role so you do not discriminate against applicants on unrelated grounds.
Stay on Task
It can be tempting to root around social media when deciding between candidates. However, doing so without clear guidelines can be problematic. The best way to avoid this is to delegate the work to an agency specializing in background checks. That will allow you to focus on the important parts of the hiring process while they look for things that are likely to impact the job. Social Media Employment Screening should be used with other means of screening, such as reference and background checks. It is also useful in spotting future trends that indicate potential problems for your company. It’s also worth remembering that even after an employee is hired, they might reveal information on their personal social media accounts that would be inappropriate for the workplace. Eighty percent of employers have fired employees for posting wrong information.
Using Social Media Employment Screening to vet candidates is becoming more common, but it’s essential to have clear guidelines in place. If you need help proceeding, consult your background check agency for guidance and ensure they use a strict code of conduct. By staying consistent, you can ensure that all applicants are treated equally and that the process doesn’t infringe on any rights or privacy issues.
