What people post, like, share, or comment about on social media says a lot about them. If you dig deeper, you can gain substantial insight into their character and personality. While a social media screen should not be the only tool you use to assess a job candidate, it can be a valuable tool in your arsenal as you move through your hiring process.
Use social media content to corroborate information provided by candidates.
As long as any information found is not used in a discriminatory way, it can help you to:
- Verify information already provided on an individuals’ resume or application or during an interview or other interaction.
- Assess a person’s writing proficiency as part of your overall evaluation of their communication skills.
- Learn more about a candidate; for instance, how they speak about others, where their interests lie, and which organizations they follow.
Social media content that may trigger red flags about an applicant may include:
- Bragging about partying heavily, drinking too much, using illegal substances, or engaging in any other questionable behavior.
- Any type of hate speech or threat.
- Illegal or illicit content.
- Negative comments about previous employers or clients.
- Confidential or sensitive information about people or companies.
- Deceptive, scammy posts.
There are numerous considerations when it comes to social media screening.
To effectively and legally assess candidates’ social media, it is necessary to:
- Work within all legal guidelines. Base all hiring decisions on information that is nondiscriminatory and job-related.
- Create a social media screening policy. Include guidelines regarding who conducts screenings, when they will be done, which positions will be screened, and how and to whom results will be presented.
- Prepare screening questions. Make sure all applicants are assessed consistently and fairly.
- Prepare and present results. Reports should be provided only to those included in your company’s screening policy, and results should focus only on job-related facts and data.
Chane Solutions is committed to being a trusted source for all aspects of your pre-employment and drug testing needs, including social media screening and related policy and procedure development. Every component of every report we provide undergoes a thorough quality control audit and is evaluated for accuracy and correctness. You can trust us to get it right and help you avoid stepping on any landmines. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.
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