In our modern online world, pretty much everyone has a Facebook profile. Great …. But if you are one of the many people today looking for employment, have you considered the impact this profile might have on your future job prospects or career? It’s not just personal anymore.
Social media has become a factor in all facets of business, including hiring. Social media has changed the landscape in a big way for both companies looking to hire, as well as job seekers. The fact is that the ‘Million Dollar Question’ plaguing hiring managers today assuredly includes — How and to what extent should social media be used in the hiring decision making?
Many people choose to make their lives very public through social media. If it is out there in the open, you should be able to use the information in the hiring process, right? Well … the answer lies somewhere between yes and no. The advantages of using social media are that employers can see firsthand what candidates are interested in, as well as how they choose to represent themselves online.
Since, according to the Federal Equal Employment Laws it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, age, or other similar factors, most of the information visible on profile pages, especially Facebook, is not permitted to be a factor in the hiring process.
The main concern for hiring managers then becomes — If you do happen to see this information about a job candidate, how do you purge that information from your mind when making the hiring decision? The answer is that you can’t.
The suggested and recommended solution is to separate the information gathering process so the person who does the online search is in no way part of the hiring chain, such as the use of a professional outside background and drug screening company.
To help make wise and informed hiring decisions contact The Screening Source – found online at https://www.thescreeningsource.com and 860-591-5225. With over 15 years of experience in the employee candidate screening industry, The Screening Source will help any business legally and thoroughly screen their employee candidates with their 3-step quality assurance process.
Tightening up your hiring process can really save your company time and money and reduce stress on hiring managers. Improve your hiring process today and contact The Screening Source today at The Screening Source, LLC. and 860-591-5225.
