Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/138053
Employee Screening Dubecky says. "Where once there was a deluge of information at your fingertips, there is now just a trickle." respondents whose organizations use such sites for recruiting, an alarming 74 percent fail to have clear policies in place for this usage. Yet, many observers assert that the treasure trove of information on a person's attitudes and behaviors, as reflected in their social media sites, are too compelling to simply leave untouched. "Social networks are a convenient and free way to help verify a candidate's résumé claims, unearth undesirable behaviors, and gain insight into their skills, personality, and potential cultural fit," says Todd Owens, president and chief operating officer at TalentWise, a Bothell, Wash.-based onboarding solutions company. Nevertheless, several good ideas abound. One is the value in obtaining the prior written consent from a job candidate to directly review his or her social media website content. Another smart practice is to identify which social media sites will and will not be reviewed, the data that will and will not be used, and the individuals who will and will not have access to this information. "You also want to assess how reliable the information is, and whether it can be verified that the actual candidate you're viewing has in fact posted it," Trindade says. He adds that job seekers must be cautious of their online footprint. And HR professionals must understand how and when to use this valuable information. As Owens warns, "Organizations can get themselves into legal hot water if the sites are used inappropriately." Establishing Clear Policies Obviating such legal, regulatory, and reputational risks requires the development of clear policies on social media screening. The first step in this quest? A trip to the legal department to assess the proper use of social media, says Rachel Trindade, vice president of marketing at HireRight, an Irvine, Calif.-based provider of ondemand background checks and drug testing. "The goal is to build an appropriate and compliant social media screening policy that considers screening within the larger context of the employer's overall screening program, how it works and how it is managed," she explains. Her words to employers' ears! According to the HireRight benchmarking report, only 24 percent of companies have established guidelines or policies for using social networking sites for background screening purposes. Despite the 54 percent of This is more difficult than it may appear, says Dubecky. "First, you have to determine that the profile actually belongs to and is controlled by the candidate—not all that easy in cases involving candidates with common names," he explains. "Then you have to consider the meaning and import of the profile information. Can you really determine context, tone, sarcasm, and satire? Is someone making a statement that is misogynistic or shows a propensity for violence, or are they simply quoting a song or a movie?" Once these questions are resolved, the experts say the employer must take into account the relevance of the information to job performance. "This is critical to avoiding discrimination and negligent hiring lawsuits that could cost you dearly," Owens says. There are ways to get at the truth and limit legal liability at the same time. Brandon G. Phillips, president and CEO of Global HR Research, a Fort Myers, Fla.-based background screening and onboarding provider, advises employers to run consistent searches with respect to all the candidates for a given position, regardless of whether or not they fall into a protected class. "If the search results are adverse or damaging to the candidate, then consider advising JUNE 2013 | www.hrotoday.com [39]