Should You Use Social Media As an Employee Screening Tool

Risks of Using Social Media as a Screening Tool

One of the risks involved is the increased chance of discrimination claims. Employers are not allowed to make hiring decisions based on factors like age, sexual orientation, medical condition, or marital status, but information of this type is readily available on social media sites. You may come across it by pure chance but you also may have your hands full proving that none of it influenced your decision.

Another drawback is the possibility of violating privacy rights. One might conclude that anything placed on the internet may be intended for public consumption, but this is not always the case. If a conversation on a social media website was intended to be a private conversation between friends, it's possible that you could be violating their rights to privacy. Remember, only information that might directly affect job performance and is directly relevant to the job may be considered when selecting an employee.

So, if you do find something unsavory on a social media site, you may find yourself in a very difficult position: you may not want to hire the person based on the information you found, but at the same time, you aren't allowed to use the information in your decision making process. Even if you can be objective and not use the information, how will you prove it?

How to Safely Use Social Media as a Screening Tool

There are also some benefits to using social media in screening that are hard to overlook. For example, certain positions such as church leaders, security officers, and the like require that the right person be hired to ensure safety and accountability, and social media can reveal important traits and behaviors that can help you discern whether a person is right for the job. For example, a screener may look for drug use, signs of violent or hateful tendencies.