Should Employers Use Social Media when making Hiring Decisions?

Many individuals have resorted to social media to connect with friends or strangers alike. Social media has also encouraged people to display private conduct to the public. Many colleges and businesses have resorted to viewing an applicant’s social media for work force readiness. I believe this is a good strategy, because it can eliminate competition in the work place.

When looking for prospective employees, employers do not enjoy rifling through Facebook pictures of obscene pictures and statuses with crude language. Bad behavior of employees, even off the clock, made public by social media

Employers on our social media, this is a fact that everyone in this age accepts but do not necessarily like or want. Some people say it is okay to check social media when looking for who to hire, but this infringes on privacy rights. If an employer finds something discriminating on a profile and decides not to hire the person this is not okay, even though some may say it is because you want to know what you are getting into. An employer could find information that was not even true on social media, this would not work in favor of employment. It is not okay to check social media when employers are hiring because it invades privacy, discriminates and the information provided on the site could be false.

A current and somewhat controversial topic regarding the hiring process is employers’ use of social media screening. The most popular sites to be checked are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and now more than ever, companies are looking on the Internet to see if applicants are active on these social media websites (Swallow). Harris Interactive conducted a survey of 2,303 respondents from February 9, 2012 through March 2, 2012 to find out how many companies used social media sites to check on job applicants. The results showed that 37 percent of respondents indicated their companies used social media web sites to check on job candidates. Sixty-five percent indicated they were looking to see if a job candidate appeared professional and 51

One of the most highly debated issues in the business world is the use of social media profiles as a determining factor in the hiring process. Some people feel that using someone’s social media profile is an invasion of privacy because it uses something from their personal life to determine their professional success. As long as the company follows some basic guidelines I believe there is nothing wrong with them looking into the profiles of their potential employees. It is important to point out that while looking at many of the different ethical ideologies, this practice does not violate the ethical conducts. Teleologists would agree that looking into someones profile will ensure that you are hiring someone who will conduct themselves in a proper manner. Therefore, the means of looking into their personal lives justifies the ends in which you hire a professional with good character. Deontologists would likely agree that as long as the company does not try to find loop holes to see into protected accounts that they are respecting the rights of the individual and therefore are not being unethical. I believe that it is reasonable for a company to use social media profiles as a basis for hiring because everything posted on the internet is public domain, it allows them to get an understanding of who the potential client is, and you want to ensure that you are hiring someone who fits in to your company.

Social media profiles can expose insights on appearances, religious or cultural preferences, political stance, sexual preference or marital status among other information, therefore, allowing it to have an impacted on the HR Consultant and the hiring process. Ordinally, staying objective is a key component for HR personnel, however viewing information through these sites could influence a decision in the employment process. Another aspect of this topic is the opposing view that the lack of social media can cause adverse impact. The uses of social media as a hiring tool could limit individuals of different socioeconomic groups as they may not have continuous internet access thus lack of opportunities for employment. The importance of this information is the fact that socioeconomic status is not a protected class under Title VII, however, a large percentage of the lower socioeconomic class is constituted of minorities that are protected under Title VII thus causing this to be considered an adverse impacted

Social networking has become as popular as the telephone, email, and Internet. This new medium brings concerns of confidentiality and liability to many organizations. However, it has also proven to be an effective recruiting and marketing tool. Many employers are struggling with finding a way to monitor employee’s usage and content, while promoting their company at the same time.

Utilising social media for business has been a strategy of human resource management in hiring process. Internet and technology has revolutionised the way people live and also led employers to attract and screen potential candidates on social media, such as Linkedin and Facebook (Zamaria C, 2007). The features of online platform make social media become a common method of attracting applicants for human resource function. For instance, the speed and no geographical limits are distinctive features of online recruitment (CIPD, 2010). A survey conducted by the US Society for Human Resource Management found that the number of organisations that reported using social media as an HR recruiting tool had grown from 56 percent in 2011 to 84 percent in 2015 (SHRM, 2016). Some researches reported that the use of social media is an inevitable trend of hiring strategy in the age of Internet; therefore, employers could not ignore the

Social media is a growing facet of the recruitment process, but is not the only source organizations use to advertise their jobs. According to Sinha and Thaly (2013), social media is part of a multi-prong approach and is combined with several other avenues:

Social networking sites are a dangerously sharp double-edged sword. Professional sites such as LinkedIn can showcase one’s talents and provide an advantage within a large applicant pool while personal sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, myspace, even YouTube, if used irresponsibly, can make public many aspects of an individual’s private life which can reflect negatively, when viewed by others. The article “Didn’t get that new job? You need a better Facebook score” (Garling) highlights one of the many ways prospective employers can quantify someone based on their social media presence. The article describes a process whereby hiring managers rely on a consulting firm of sorts. This firm provides a score for each applicant based on their social media presence.

Social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook have created a new ethical dilemma for many businesses. Corporations, small businesses, and even universities are struggling create policies to manage their employees social networking behaviors. Social networking access, particularly for recruiters, can provide personal information about potential employees, which would otherwise not be available. A business must follow statutes and guidelines when disclosing information to the public. Individuals on social networking sites have no such constraints. Employees can and do make comments about their employers online. Employers can and do watch what employees post online. Any individual can send or post potentially damaging information

Social media gives employers the opportunity to see the true image of how candidates behave in a variety of real social situations, rather than the glimpse provided by the typical 20-30 minute, staged interview, in which the candidate will most likely behave differently anyways due to nervousness or stress. This can give great insight to what it will be like to work alongside a candidate.

Almost everyone in developed countries, during this day and age, has social media accounts. There are many platforms of social media including but not limited to: facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat, myspace, linkedin, etc… And there are many reasons for using these social media platforms such as: keeping contact with old friends and distant relatives, meeting new people and sharing life experiences with people around the globe, or stalking that cute girl at work but never making contact. Among these reasons, and many more is the controversial topic of whether job employers should be able to use of social media to look up applicants. I believe job employers have a right to look up potential employees because doing so would allow them to

Social media can be too informative at times. Suppose you were looking for a job and applied but the chances of ever being hired were ruined because of what you post online. The fact that one can be chosen to be looked up and be reviewed on based on their beliefs. For example “someone applying to become the new head of a science department. The applicant had attended conferences on creationism and posted notes online. Someone from the steering committee saw them and voiced concerns and the applicant was turned down” (Fox 7). It creates a mindset of having to second guess what you post due to the possibility of it affecting you in the future. Even if you do get hired getting passed the screening there is still the employer’s awareness to posts that you may have to take into consideration. There is a chance of being terminated if you were to post something the employee may deem notable to consider letting you go. However

Even though the practice of using social media to vet candidates is relatively new, there are standards already established for this process. Employers who are hesitant to use social media typically cite fear of allegations of discriminatory hiring practices. To protect themselves against legal ramifications of unfair hiring processes, employers should always consult with an employment attorney to develop policies for gathering and use of internet-based information (“The Facebook Background Check.”) An employment attorney can help