Employers want to be able to get a fuller idea of what the person they';re hiring is like. Social media can allow them to understand what a persons behavior is representative of when they aren't acting on a script. It provides a more natural view of a candidate then they might see during an interview. If understanding a candidate before hiring saves a company from having to deal with behavior troubles or legal liabilities of any sort, then it's already worth the effort. It will always be better for a company to reject a bad candidate then it will be trying to fix any issue caused by them in hindsight.
We were always warned in college that employers will search our social media. It's true because as I am in charge of gathering candidates for new openings, the first thing I do when someone applies is search their social media profiles. We do this to see if they will be a company fit with our culture. Obviously, you want employees who will show up on time, and get along with others. When I see people who have their profile photos as themselves flipping off the camera and smoking drugs, those are red flags that they probably wouldn't do well in our culture. With social media, you are supposed to put your best foot forward or show the best side of you. Make sure it truly is the best side you are showing others.
I've learned the hard way how important it is to conduct candidate background checks, especially their social media profiles. Five years ago, I hired an apparently perfect candidate for a role, only to have the HR department bombarded with complaints about inappropriate remarks and insensitive behavior towards other employees. Later, I discovered this was the norm for him; his Facebook profile was full of problematic status updates, racist quotes, and shockingly sexist remarks. Sometimes, online profiles can also provide clues about the legitimacy of applications that seem too good to be true. With challenging times ahead for businesses, I think it's better to deep-dive into whatever candidate information is available instead of risking hiring them, only to terminate and having to rehire in a month or so. As it is, with the current challenges of running a business, office drama is the last thing we need!
Social identity online is vital for employers to determine the integrity of the potential candidates. Candidates with a dirty online identity damage the reputation of the brand and link it with the associated behavior such as racism or sexism. Online scanning validates the information that potential candidates provide and help in gauging the intangible aspects of trust and integrity. It is also vital for security to avoid hiring candidates involved in illegal activities such as money laundering and cyber crime. It is also a way to eliminate unconscious bias through objective scanning of the potential candidate.
Scanning online behavior can be a great way to see if a candidate is a good fit for the company culture. I’m not talking about seeing their interests or following other companies merely, but rather about how they use their online platform. Are they posting about going to the gym and eating well, or are they complaining about work or the people they work with? Online profiles are windows into a person’s life, and employers are using them to determine if candidates are the right fit for their company.
The things that an employee posts or does online don’t just impact their individual reputation. It can also influence how people view or think about your company, even when someone is posting on their personal social media. Many customers today want to do business with companies that share their values, and job seekers feel the same way about employers. If you hire someone who’s an online bully or regularly posts offensive content, this could lead to people associating these behaviors with your company, and your online reuptation as a business can suffer as a result. This is aside from the potential impact on your team, culture, and morale from hiring someone who's hostile, prejudiced, or otherwise toxic, although that’s something else that’s important to consider. Scanning the profiles and posting behavior of candidates before they get through the interview process is an easy way to check for red flags and avoid hiring someone who will cause you these kinds of headaches.
Marketing & Outreach Manager at ePassportPhoto
Answered 3 years ago
You can tell a lot by a person's way of communicating through social media and the content they post. You can see how often they go on social media and how big of a role it plays in their lives. After all, one might argue that if someone's addicted to social media, that means they're prone to get distracted by it, even at work. Apart from that, you can learn about their interests, topics they like to discuss and their manners, based on how they talk or argue on the internet. There's a lot of information to be found if you're thorough.
Nothing can tell you about a person's personality more than their online profile can. The things they post, the things they like, their comments. They give you a general idea of who a person is. You also get to learn their values. This will give you a feel of what kind of employee they will be, based on what kind of person they are.