Should Employers Use MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn to Screen Candidates and Make Hiring Decisions? Background Screening Expert Explains the Dangers To
Social and professional networking sites have become enormously popular ways to connect with friends and colleagues. MySpace? has 73 million American users, Facebook? has 36 million U. S. members and LinkedIn? has 17 million members.
As a result, social networking sites present a tempting source of information for employers. 60 to 70 percent of hiring managers are currently doing online background checks of prospective candidates, often before they contact them for an initial interview.
But screening candidates by reading their online profiles presents numerous legal and ethical challenges for businesses, recruiters and hiring managers.
Employers who choose to use these and other social networking sites, such as Twitter?, must use care to avoid attaining and using information in a discriminatory way. They need to ensure that they are in compliance and do not break privacy laws, as well as be sure that the information obtained is accurate.
The leading social networking sites
* MySpace is a popular international social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music and videos for teens and adults. It's owned by Fox Interactive Media, which is owned by News Corporation.
* Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg while he was still a student at Harvard Univerity. Users can join networks organized by city, school, workplace and region to connect and interact with others. Website membership was initially only available to Harvard students, but now has more than 80 million active users worldwide.
* LinkedIn is a site mainly used for professional networking. The purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone to become a connection.
Pitfalls of using social and professional networking sites to screen job candidates
Some employers may feel that they should take advantage of the "free" information that is available on these sites. Before employers use information obtained from these sites they need to consider:
? The use of personal information
By sharing the information and observations with the caregiver, you have a chance to see your child through another pair of eyes. Because she has some distance and objectivity, a caregiver often sees things that a parent’s total involvement with her child doesn’t allow.
—Amy Laura Dombro (20th century)
? Accessibility issues
? Accuracy of information
? Privacy compliance
It is important that hiring managers not discriminate against a candidate because they included something strange on a social network website. Many candidates post indiscreet photos or share too much information about their religious and political beliefs, sexual preferences, age, marital status or unusual hobbies in their profiles. However, it's illegal for employers to consider these factors when making their hiring decisions.
"Pretexting" is another risk to avoid. Employers should never set up a fake identity in order to join a candidate's friends' network and gain access to their information. In addition, it's often difficult to determine if you're reading the profile of the job applicant or someone else with a similar name.
The best practice is to perform an Internet search on a candidate only after a conditional job offer is made, and only if you disclose that you will be doing an online background check.
Consequences of misusing the information on social and professional networking websites include discrimination lawsuits and claims of invasion of privacy from job applicants.
A safer alternative
For an affordable, safer way to vet potential employees, it's best to rely on a professional pre-employment screening firm. These firms offer unbiased and accurate employee information screens for:
? Employment
? Criminal Records
? Driving Records
A computer does not think, it feels nothing, and what it is said to “know”—bits of information all cast in the digital mode—has no fringe. Nor has it a memory, only storage room. On any point called for, the answer is all or none. Vagueness, intelligent confusion, original punning on words or ideas never occur, the internal hookups being unchangeable; they were determined once for all by the true minds that made the machine and program. When plugged in, the least elaborate computer can be relied on to work to the fullest extent of its capacity; the greatest mind cannot be relied on for the simplest thing; its variability is its superiority.
—Jacques Barzun (b. 1907)
? Drug Testing
? Social Security Number
? Worker's Compensation
? Licenses & Credentials
? Education
? Credit Profile
Any information on an applicant's background needs to be handled in a legal and confidential manner. The reality is that Human Resources or a business owner will not have the time to weed out the good from the bad information obtained through social and professional networking websites. Even if they had the time, they may not know what information is allowed under the law.
Social and professional networking websites may be useful to gain a better understanding of who the applicant is, but should not be relied upon to make a sound hiring decision.
In order to avoid privacy violation and discrimination claims, experts recommend getting the assistance of a professional and experienced employment screening firm.
For a free report on "The Business Guide to Background Checks," go to http://www.accuscreen.com/freeguide. Kevin Connell has 15 years experience as founder/CEO of Accu-Screen, Inc., which specializes in pre-employment background screening. Contact him at kevinconnell@accuscreen.com or 1-800-689-2228.