Q&A On Using Social Networks For Background Screening
January 26, 2010
I found an excellent Q&A regarding employee background screening on Human Resource Executive Online.
Question:
Can you provide the parameters for HR in the use of information discovered on the Web, such as Facebook, as it applies to job applicants?
Answer:
Social networks and blogging sites can provide an inexpensive and easy way for employers to gather a plethora of information about potential job applicants. However, employers should think twice about using information found on social-networking sites to make employment decisions because the use of such information could lead to the potential risk of employer liability.
This is because these sites contain information about job applicants that employers would not be permitted to ask about during any job interview. Therefore, using, and in some cases, simply accessing these pages for employment purposes can result in violations of various anti-discrimination statutes, privacy laws, state “off-duty” conduct statutes, and federal and state Fair Credit Reporting Acts.
For the complete article click here.
Related Posts From FYI Screening:
- 4 Tips On How To Use Social Networks For Employee Screening
- Employee Screening Through Social Networks
- 5 Legal Reasons Why Your Company Should Have a Social Networking Policy
- Twitter and Employment Law Issues
- The Pros & Cons of Googling Candidates
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Best Employee Screening Articles For October & November 2009
December 2, 2009
In case you missed any of our employee screening articles for October and November, here’s a quick recap of our most popular:
- Florida Lawmakers Pledge Changes To Their Background Screening Program
- Sex Offender Safety Tips
- No Background Check? No Problem - Cracking Down On The Gun Show Loophole
- How A Woman Falsified Her Nursing Credentials For 18 Years
- University Removes New-Hire DNA Testing From It’s Background Check Policy
- Genes and Jobs: Can Employers Use Your DNA For A Background Check?
- 100% Of Companies Will Be Using Social Networks As Part Of Their Employee Screening Program By 2012
- How To Protect Your Company When Googling Job Applicants
Smart, Compliant Hiring Decisions Made Easy
FYI Screening offers a wide array of customized background screening solutions to meet any need. Human Resources and Loss Prevention Professionals in numerous industries worldwide trust FYI’s screening solutions every day to make smarter, safer and more cost effective hiring decisions.
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How To Protect Your Company When Googling Job Applicants
November 12, 2009
Earlier this week I wrote how 100% Of Companies Will Be Using Social Networks As Part Of Their Employee Screening Program By 2012.
Jon Hyman from the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog read this post and offers some advice on how employers can protect themselves when they use social networks to screen applicants.
- Read Googling job applicants from the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog.
100% Of Companies Will Be Using Social Networks As Part Of Their Employee Screening Program By 2012
November 9, 2009
Dan Schawbel, a personal branding expert, gives his 10 Personal Branding Predictions for 2010. The one that caught my attention was number ten:
10) Online identities becoming as routine as employer drug tests
In 2009, Careerbuilder reported that 45% of companies are using social networks as background checks. I’m going to go with 75% of companies for 2010 and then 100% of companies in 2012. Just like a drug test, going online to review an applicants brand is easy, cost effective and can save headaches later. There are issues that arise such as possibly losing good talent because of one Facebook picture or judging someone based on their picture and not on their credibility.
What this means for your personal brand: Everyone is going to have to be very careful with what they put online. Go through your online presence right now to make sure it best represents you as a professional. Try and see your profiles through a companies eyes too.
The topic of using social networks for background checks has been controversial because of the possible legal exposure but I’m going to have to agree with Dan here…
100% of companies will be using social networks as part of their employee screening program by 2012.
It is important it note that these social searches will not replace traditional background checks (county criminal searches, verification of driving records, education and employment) but will be an increasingly important tool to help companies find the best fit employees for their organizations.
Read Dan’s 10 Personal Branding Predictions for 2010.
Related Posts From FYI Screening:
Best Employee Screening Articles For August & September 2009
October 1, 2009
In case you missed any of our employee screening articles for August and September, here’s a quick recap of our most popular:
- Recruiters Are Checking You Out On Facebook
- Top 10 Articles On Employee Screening
- The Secret of Successful Hiring
- Truth and Lies On Resumes
- More Background Checks
- Sex Offenders In Ohio
- Florida’s Flawed Background Screening System
- The Pros & Cons of Googling Candidates
Smart, Compliant Hiring Decisions Made Easy
FYI Screening, Inc. is a leading provider of on-demand, easy to use employee screening solutions.
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- Follow on Twitter
- Connect on LinkedIn
Photo credit: net_efekt
The Pros & Cons of Googling Candidates
September 28, 2009
Kris Dunn, an outspoken HR Pro who blogs over at the hrcapitalist.com offers his take on using social media for employee screening.
Googling Candidates: The Trenches Say You Can’t Afford NOT To….
Related Posts From FYI Screening:
Top 10 Articles On Employee Screening
August 28, 2009
Since we’ve had an increase in readers to our employee screening blog, I thought it would be a good idea to make the new folks aware of our most viewed articles.
Here they are:
Want to learn more about employee background screening?
Recruiters Are Checking You Out On Facebook
August 20, 2009
Employers increasingly turning to Facebook to check up on you
by Christopher Null: The Working Guy. Yahoo Tech
If you’re lucky enough to have landed a job interview in this economy, you’d better have your ducks in a row. And more and more these days that means getting your social networks in order before your would-be bosses come sniffing around.
According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder, Facebook has become the network of choice for recruiters to sniff out data about job applicants, with 30 percent of hiring managers saying they use Facebook searches to research information about new and potential hires.
Read the rest of the article here.
Related Posts From FYI Screening:
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Employee Screening Articles For June & July 2009
August 3, 2009
In case you missed any of our employee screening articles for June and July, here’s a quick recap of our most popular:
- 6 Tips On I-9 Compliance In The Hospitality Industry
- 5 Legal Reasons Why Your Company Should Have a Social Networking Policy
- Are Colleges Spying On High School Students?
- Hiring Managers Are Checking You Out
- New Employee Screening Trend -Second Chance For Ex-Offenders
- E-Verify for Employers in South Carolina and Mississippi
- Small Business Guide To Pre-Employment Background Checks
- The Hottest, Newest HR Technology for Background Screening
- The Importance Of Post-Hire Background Checks
- 4 Tips On How To Use Social Networks For Employee Screening
Smart, Compliant Hiring Decisions Made Easy
FYI Screening, Inc. offers a complete portfolio of employee screening services that will help you work smarter while providing the industry’s fastest turnaround and the highest quality results. This will allow your company to focus on what really matters: hiring and retaining the best employees possible.
- Subscribe to our blog to stay informed
- Follow on Twitter
- Connect on LinkedIn
4 Tips On How To Use Social Networks For Employee Screening
July 28, 2009
One of the hottest and most controversial topics in the background screening space is the use of social networks to screen employees.
The New York Law Journal covers this important issue in an article titled “Social Networking and Blogging: Managing the Conversation.”
The Tips:
- Employers choosing to screen blogs and social networking profiles must also comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA requires an applicant’s or employee’s consent before an employer may engage a “consumer reporting agency” to produce a “consumer report” on that individual. FCRA does not prohibit employers from receiving or using the consumer report that contains information derived from social networking sites or blogs, but it requires disclosure that such information resulted in an adverse employment decision.
- Employers should also develop clear rules regarding their hiring procedure if they wish to make use of available online information from personal blogs and social networking sites for screening purposes.
- For instance, it is vital that a wall be constructed between the ultimate decision maker and the individual conducting the initial online research. While specific rules will vary based on an individual employer’s needs, any employer utilizing these technologies should ensure that irrelevant information is screened and filtered before it reaches the decision maker.
- The law applicable to employee blogging and social networking is still evolving, and the lack of legal precedent leaves significant room for interpretation. When making use of online resources, however, it is better to err on the side of caution, as the potential risks to the employer can be significantly greater than any benefits the additional information social networking sites and blogs may provide.
Smart Business Decisions Made Easy
FYI Screening, Inc. offers a complete portfolio of employee screening services that will help you work smarter while providing the industry’s fastest turnaround and the highest quality results.
This will allow your company to focus on what really matters: hiring and retaining the best employees possible.
- Subscribe to our blog to stay informed
- Follow on Twitter
- Connect on LinkedIn
