Social Networking and Employment Screening

September 15, 2009

Social Networking and Employment Screening

With the growing popularity of social networking sites, employers are increasingly considering them for evaluating potential employees. We hear more and more questions from clients asking about the validity and legality of this.

Here are some statistics regarding social networking activity:

According to a 2009 Anderson Analytics report, the US has a total population of 305 million. Of that, 187 million are online. Of that, roughly 60%, 110 million, are using social network sites of one form or another. ("New Anderson Analytics Social Media Study - US Social Network Services").
Another 2009 Anderson Analytics report estimates that social networking sites have the following numbers of users: Facebook: 78 million; MySpace: 67 million users; Twitter: 17 million; LinkedIn: 11 million. ("New Social Media Study: Facebook Trumps Other Social Media as Most Valuable; Majority of Users Can't Do Without Popular Site").
The total minutes spent on Facebook increased from 1.7 billion in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009. (Nielsen Wire: "Time Spent on Facebook up 700%, but MySpace Still Tops for Video").
According to a 2009 Harris Interactive survey of 2,667 HR professionals, 45% of them said that they go to social networking sites to research job candidates. Another 11% plan to do so soon. ("45% of Employers Now Screen Social Media Profiles"). The study also found 35% of employers decided not to hire a candidate due to content found on their social networking page.

So, is it really a good idea to use social networking sites as a screening tool? The answer -- no. Here's why.

Privacy
When signing up for most networking sites, a user accepts the terms of an agreement that states the site is for non-business use. So an employer using a site for screening purposes is breaching that policy and risking violating invasion of privacy laws. This can have serious consequences.

Fabricated Information
The majority of personal sites are not open to the public. So an employer has to be invited in order to view an individual's profile. Some candidates looking for work make a profile public and then fill it will complimentary but inaccurate information to make themselves look good.

On the flip side, a personal site can be set up to make a person look bad. For example, anyone can now setup a Facebook page and say they are someone else. When you are looking at a site of your applicant is it really their site or one someone else setup to look like them?

With programs like Photoshop, anyone can now make photos that look real and post them to a site. You don't know if your applicant was really at that party or if the picture was taken at a church function and inserted to look like they were. Seeing a picture of your applicant in a compromising situation may not, in fact, be real.

Once you have looked at these pictures, if you make the decision not to hire -- even if for another reason -- the applicant may take you to task over it. The burden of proof would then likely be on you to show your decision not to hire was not a result of the pictures.

Discrimination
With so much information on social networking sites, it would be next to impossible to view a person's site and not have a distinct impression of their race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual preferences, etc. Again, once you have seen this information, it would be up to you to prove you did not use it when making your decision not to hire.

Some hiring managers or human resource people will secretly admit they have looked at applicants' social networking sites, but they don't believe there will be any repercussions since no one will know of the practice. Some companies who use social networking sites for screening or sourcing job applicants have been covered in the press. We all know how news can travel, and one should question the value of a hiring tool if its usefulness has to be protected by hoping no one will find out. If it is to be used as a screening tool, it would make sense to have a policy and training as to its use.

In summary, social networking sites should not be part of your screening process. Legitimate screening companies and legal experts virtually all agree on this point. There is a great deal of valuable and legally obtainable information from traditional screening methods. There really is no need to put yourself or your company at risk venturing onto social networking sites for employment purposes.

If you have any questions about this, or other screening topics, please feel free to contact us.

e-Update
Employment Screening Services, Inc.
e-Update@employscreen.com
1-800-473-7778