Job Hunter, Heed This: Insights on Employer's Social Media Background Checks
Finding the Perfect Fit: A Guide to Social Media Screening in Hiring
In the quest to snag the right candidate for a job opening, recruiters have turned to social media as a valuable resource. Yes, even for those applying for back-office positions!
These days, employers scrutinize candidate's online personas to strengthen their hiring decisions. According to CareerBuilder, an astounding 70% of companies depend on social media checks to gather insights about a potential candidate, during pre-employment screenings.
So, if you're in job-hunting mode, here's what you should know about social screening in the recruitment process:
Why Do Employers Resort to Social Media Screening?
Social media delves into many useful areas that hiring managers can tap into:
- Validating Information: Assessing work experience, education, past employers, and other relevant details.
- Gauging Personal Interests: Digging into skills, talents, and qualities, including communication, empathy, and tactfulness.
- Assessing Cultural Fit: Inspecting values and characteristics to determine if the candidate aligns with the organization's ethos.
- Spotting Conflicts of Interest: Revealing potential issues that could negatively impact the company's reputation, such as negative online comments or inappropriate behavior.
Is Social Screening Legal for Employers?
Social media screening is treated like any other background check under U.S. laws. Employers are barred from scrutinizing a candidate's race, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship, disabilities, and other protected class information that can lead to unfair discrimination.
As long as employers comply with these regulations, there's no legal hindrance to investigating someone's online footprint during the recruitment process.
Which Social Networks Do Employers Scan During Hiring?
Nobody wants to be pigeonholed, but if you're serious about career growth, LinkedIn is the place to be. Recruiters usually start by perusing LinkedIn for a deep dive into a candidate's work heritage.
However, hiring managers also probe other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and others. A candid glimpse into a person's regular social interactions can offer fascinating insights outside the professional realm.
What Exactly do Employers Look at on Social Platforms?
On LinkedIn, recruiters scrutinize a candidate's work history (positions held, key achievements, recommendations), skills, certifications, and education.
In general, they're keen on evaluating your posts, likes, comments, followers, and more. They're wary of extremist views, lies, negative comments about previous employers, sensitive business information, and offensive or disrespectful content.
Even minor oversights, like typos, language errors, and excessive social activities, can raise red flags during a pre-employment screening.
How Can You Spruce Up Your Online Presence to Boost Your Hiring Odds?
To catch the attention of recruiters, here are some simple steps to enhance your digital image before submitting your job application:
- Create Profiles on Key Platforms
A comprehensive LinkedIn profile is essential, while sites like Facebook, Instagram, and others can help showcase your personal interests in a positive light. Fill out your profiles thoroughly and ensure they make a compelling impact.
- Carefully Manage Your Posts
Stay away from sensitive topics like politics and religion, and instead highlight your strengths and passions. Support social causes you believe in, or share your knowledge through insightful posts and comments.
Be selective about who you follow and engage with too because the people you're connected to reflect your character.
- Be Authentic
A faked online persona will only help in the short run. A hiring manager will see the real you once they meet you in person. Being honest helps you build lasting relationships and showcase genuine qualities that resonate with people.
- Screen Your Digital Footprint
Your online presence can make or break your job prospects, but regular check-ups can minimize the risk. A simple Google search of your name will help you understand what a potential employer might find. Sometimes, you may uncover abandoned accounts or duplicates created by someone else. It's essential to address these issues before you start job hunting.
In conclusion, hiring managers are diligent about making informed decisions to avoid a bad hire that could undermine the organization's success and reputation. Social media screening has become a routine part of pre-employment checks, offering insights into a candidate's background, skills, interests, and qualities that traditional background checks and interviews may overlook.
If you're gearing up for your next professional endeavor, brush up on your digital interactions. A well-managed online presence can pave the way for opportunities to stampede towards you!
- In addition to validating work experience and education, employers use social media to gauge personal interests and assess cultural fit, revealing potential conflicts of interest and negative online comments that could harm a company's reputation.
- While LinkedIn is a popular platform for recruiters, employers also scrutinize candidate's profiles on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other social networks to gain insights into their personal lives.
- On social platforms, recruiters look at a candidate's work history, skills, certifications, and education, as well as their posts, likes, comments, followers, and more, wary of extremist views, lies, negative comments about previous employers, sensitive business information, and offensive or disrespectful content.
- To improve hiring chances, job-seekers should create thorough profiles on key platforms, manage posts carefully, be authentic, and maintain a positive online presence by screening their digital footprint.
- Career growth benefits from being active in education-and-self-development, entertainment, and career-development networks on social media, as these can help showcase skills, knowledge, and passions to potential employers, contributing to a stronger job-search strategy.
