- Decide what will disqualify candidates in advance. A small typo in the cover letter may not disqualify a potential engineer, but it probably will disqualify a copyeditor applicant. It’s the same with conducting social media-based “background checks,” but it’s important to agree to disqualifying terms ahead of time.
- Have HR search. The main concern about reviewing social media is the potential to gather protected-class information. HR is more likely to know and work against bias than a hiring manager who has only heard the phrase but has not been aptly trained. Also, HR probably isn’t a decision maker—they simply report the information. (Quick reminder, if you have a third party do your social media searches, the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies, so tread carefully.)
- Wait. Do not search the profiles of every candidate. That’s way too time consuming. Wait until you’re down to your top five, three, or two candidates.
- Ask the candidate. I know this one is difficult, but social media is rife with mistaken identity, unknown trolls, and more. Even if you find objectionable content, give the candidate an opportunity to explain it. This provides a sense of fairness to the candidate and gives them an understanding of why you may decide to move in another direction.
Today’s social discourse is full of sensitive and objectionable opinions and activities. Wouldn’t you rather know about these issues beforehand? I certainly would.
Maya Reine Gonzalez says
I find this article very helpful especially for a headhunting firms in the Philippines where social media is widely used in terms of recruiting. These steps will help them to find the right person that fits in the right role and also by the use of social media it makes recruiting easier and less time-consuming.