Is Social Media Screening Right For Your Business?

July 11, 2022

Employers face an ever-growing array of options for investigating and identifying suitable job candidates. In addition to standard background checks, social media screenings have become an increasingly popular tool to explore candidates beyond how they present themselves in applications and interviews.

What Is Social Media Screening?

As they sound, social media screenings involve a review of a candidate's postings on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Reviewers are typically checking for activity or postings that may indicate a potential hire is not a good fit, such as illegal activities or a history of violent behavior which may not be caught by other background screenings. Employers reviewing social media should proceed with caution or hire a reputable screening service to reduce the risk of acting, however unintentionally, on any protected information about job candidates.

What Industries Benefit From Social Media Screening?

While any industry may benefit from social media screening, some will find it more useful than others, particularly those which involve sensitive or confidential information, dealing with the public or potentially unhappy customers, high-stress positions, jobs involving driving or transportation, medicine and healthcare, and positions of trust.

Social Media Screening Red Flags

Social media screenings can reveal a lot about a job candidate's personality, interests, and other details which may be of interest. Information we include in social media screenings, which may be more important in selecting appropriate job candidates, can include evidence of:

Violent behavior — especially risky for coworkers and vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, disabled, and ill
Illegal activities such as illicit drug use — may indicate a risk in positions involving driving, direct customer interactions, and positions requiring handling of sensitive, confidential, or financial information
Racism, sexism, or other intolerant views — can be a poor fit for most organizations, particularly those with a diverse clientele
Sexually explicit material — may indicate an inappropriate candidate for positions involving one-on-one contact with customers, particularly children

At Employers Reference Source, Inc., our goal is to provide you with accurate, reliable information to inform your hiring decisions, in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Contact ustoday to learn more about how your business can benefit from our many years of experience.

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