If you’re planning to conduct a social media background search on job candidates, there are certain things that you need to know. These tips will help you get the most out of your background check and ensure you don’t find anything affecting your hiring decision.
This can be particularly tricky for businesses needing clarification on social media screening laws. They could end up committing HR violations and resulting in lawsuits.
Search for the Candidate’s Legal Name
Thorough social media background searches on job candidates help you identify whether they would fit your company and its culture well. It also can help you spot any red flags that may hinder your ability to hire them.
Despite the apparent benefits of this type of screening, it is essential to remember that social media background searches carry significant legal risks and limits on their effectiveness. In addition, they can be lengthy and lead you down the wrong road of searching without delivering actionable candidate information.
One of the most significant limitations of social media screening is that many individuals have multiple accounts, which means you can’t always consistently review a candidate’s social media activity. Furthermore, most social media accounts are ever-changing and can be updated or erased by the candidate before a background screener can find them.
As a result, social media screening is a less reliable method than SSN trace or criminal record searches. Additionally, it carries significant risk for the hiring manager because it can reveal sensitive personal information about a candidate that isn’t vetted before making an employment decision.
Conduct a Simple Google Search
In addition to a traditional resume search, employers should also look into the candidate’s social media accounts. These accounts can provide a more in-depth view of the candidate than what is found on their resumes.
A simple Google search is one of the best ways to conduct a thorough social media background search on job candidates. Unlike many other search tools, Google can display your desired information at the top of your results page. This feature can save you time and effort and is particularly helpful if you search for information repeatedly.
To perform a Google search, you only need to type the candidate’s name into the search box, press your enter key, or click the “Google Search” button. You can then look up the candidate’s contact details, professional networks, and other information.
Another essential thing to note when searching on Google is that you should not use personal information as your search term. If you do, your results may be biased.
You can avoid this by using a private browsing window or an incognito browser, which will hide your profile from any logged-in Google user. It would help if you were careful not to violate state or local laws when performing your search.
Look at Individual Profiles
Social media profiles are an excellent source of information for HR departments and employers who need to know more about a job candidate. This helps determine whether a candidate fits the organization and can reduce hiring costs.
The best way to look at individual profiles when conducting a social media background search is to do a simple Google search with the candidate’s legal name. This will help you identify any accounts that an unknown individual has created. It will also provide links to news articles and other publications about the person you are looking at.
Look at Group Profiles
Group profiles are a way of looking at the activities of groups or teams within a company. They can also help you understand the culture of your business and determine if the candidates you’re hiring will fit in with that culture.
A group profile can help understand the goals and objectives of a group as well as the emotions and behaviour of the members. It can also give you a sense of how well the group is performing and how much of a threat it poses to your organization.
Instagram is a social media platform that allows users to create their groups. This is a great way to promote your business and build a community of like-minded people. You can share posts, stories, and reels with other group members.
Using a group profile can benefit teachers and tutors because it allows them to identify students with solid learning style preferences, as opposed to those who prefer another. This can help them plan and implement effective teaching strategies that work best for each student.
Group profiles also offer an overall threat score for each group, which helps you determine whether the group should be taken seriously. This score will tell you if the group threatens your organization and give you specific areas of concern.
Look at Publications
Using social media for background searches can give you more insight into the person you’re hiring than a simple Google search or interview. This type of screening helps you to get a better sense of the candidate’s personality and character, which can help you decide whether or not they’ll be a good fit for your business. However, it’s essential to be careful when conducting these checks because the information can be inaccurate or misleading.
Most people use social media to interact with their friends and family, so many posts and photos on their accounts will be personal or utterly unrelated to the job they’re applying for. While they may be passionate sports fans or collectors of dolls, their social media presence doesn’t necessarily say much about the skills and potential that would make them successful at the job you’re offering.
