Social Media and Screening candidates
I recently read an article posing the question ‘would you use social media to assist you to screen candidates’?
This reminds me about a lecture attended with students about the role social media plays in students lives and how potentially it can damage their future prospects. As an audience we were separated into 2 groups, students and others. We were shown all sorts of alarming notifications, statuses, postings etc that students (not the students attending) put into the public arena. I am sure this is old news to most of you. The importance of privacy setting are drummed into everyone now at an early age. However what was found to be most surprising was the reaction from the students. The students had all been asked just to supply their names at the start. With what appeared to be very little detective work the lecturer managed to find out a huge amount of detail about the students. Some of it you would not want a future employer to view. Pictures taken at parties, clubs, with friends, tagged with friends, holidays, events etc. The students all agreed that as a future employer they might be less inclined to consider you.
So as an employer or recruiter would you use social media to screen candidates. Here at Cork Griffiths we dont use facebook or similar sites to look at candidates. Linkedin is the exception. Some employers may do, see this Daily Mail article for example. It would not seem fair to examine a candidates social life and assume it is a reflection on your ability to do the job, but just in case an employer does should you moderate what is ‘out there’ about you?