There’s a good chance you conduct a background check on all candidates prior to extending an offer, but if a social media screening isn’t part of the process, it’s time to include it. These days, just about everyone is active on social media, and a job seeker’s presence can be very telling.
According to a 2016 CareerBuilder Social Recruitment Survey, 60 percent of employers check candidate’s social media accounts. This represents an 8 percent increase from 2015 and a whopping 500 percent surge in the past decade.
If you’re still not convinced it’s necessary to review the public social media pages of potential new hires, learn three valuable lessons sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can teach.
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Gauge Cultural Fit
A candidate’s cultural fit is the key to their lasting success at your organization, but determining this over the course of a few meetings with the person is challenging, at best. Social media pages reveal a great deal about their owner’s personality, which can help you determine whether or not they would mesh well with the rest of your team.
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Assess Professionalism
The last thing you want is to hire someone who is a liability to your company. With any luck, you’ll review a candidate’s social presence and be even more impressed with their excellent judgment, but if red flags are present, it’s better to find out during the hiring process. For example, you don’t want to choose someone who regularly complains about their boss, colleagues and customers on Facebook, or frequently brags about taking unnecessary sick days.
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See What Other People Are Saying
Everything on social media cannot be taken seriously, but if posts by the candidate’s friends and family tend to follow a common theme, there’s likely at least some truth to it. In some cases, this may confirm your belief that the person is responsible, driven and kind, but it may also help you uncover less-than-appealing attributes you wouldn’t be able to draw from the interview.
Checking candidates’ social media feeds is completely legal, but it’s wise to create a formal policy and standardize the process to avoid any legal ramifications. Regulations surrounding social media laws change frequently; make a point to keep up with the latest.
PrideStaff North Dallas is here to help you find outstanding candidates to fill your openings in a variety of areas, including administration, customer service, information technology, finance, legal support, healthcare or production & distribution. Contact us to discuss your needs!
